Perfect for You
by Kowareta1468
Summary: Lucy has been wandering around for five years without a home. When the police catch her, they force her to move in with her mother, since her father wasn't suited to be her parent. Layla, owning a martial arts class, tries to teach Lucy manners and respect, and brake her from her ways. With a little help from Gray, will this happen? GraLu.
1. Chapter 1

**I decided to write another story. Don't worry, this one won't interfere with my other ones. I'll still update the same times I usually do. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

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"Switch to front snap kick!" Layla yelled across her classroom.

"Yes ma'am!" her students said in unison. She smiled in content and watched her martial arts students kick.

Layla Star was a third degree black belt in karate, a second in tae kwon do, and a fifth in kung fu. Four years earlier, she decided to share her knowledge and open a mixed martial arts academy. Being divorced for three years prior, she wanted something to do in her spare time. She teaches all ages. She was currently teaching her eight to twelve-year-old.

"Kick higher!" she ordered.

"Yes ma'am!"

Layla walked around the room, watching everyone carefully. She stopped in front of one of her favorites, Wendy Fullbuster. She was eleven years old, and already a purple belt. She had joined when the school started, at age seven. Layla held out a target and the bluenette kicked it with a force that shouldn't be possible for her size and age.

"Good job," Layla said with a smile. Wendy thanked her and continued kicking.

Ding!

Layla looked to see who entered her dojo. She was a bit shocked at the person who entered. She was about five-foot-five and had her long blonde hair flowing to her elbows. Her ripped, black, long-sleeved shirt exposed her purple tank top underneath. A green, spiral belly button ring was exposed because her shirt was pushed up. Her white jeans were ripped and so tight Layla was surprised that she could breath. Black converse were on her feet.

"Welcome to Star Martial Arts," Layla said, faking a smile. She wasn't a big fan of teens who had their tongue pierced. "What can I help you with?"

"You seem peppy," the girl snorted. She, in fact, was wearing a tongue piercing, which happened to be red. Layla was just making a stereotypical assumption. "You're Layla, right?"

"I am. And who might you be?" Layla looked at the girl up and down, trying to figure out who she was. She would surely remember a delinquent like the one in front of her. She knew she would never allow a child to dress like that. She had many talks with her students about dressing in such a manner.

"Lucy Heartfilia," the girl said, pulling her rectangular sunglasses off her face. "Long time no see, Mom."

Layla thought she was going to have a heart attack. After she divorced her husband seven years ago, she hadn't seen her daughter since. She left her daughter smiling and wearing a cute little sundress. Of course, she tried to take her with her, but the she didn't win custody. She couldn't believe that cute little ten-year-old she left behind turned into what stood before her.

"Take a short break!" Layla yelled. The last battle cries echoed off the walls. The students wiped the sweat from their faces and went to the back room to retrieve their drinks. Layla could think more clearly with the noise level down.

She took a deep breath. "What brings you here?" she asked calmly. She was very proud of herself for staying so calm. Her blood just boiled thinking about what caused her ex-husband to raise their daughter the way he did.

"I got caught running away, and the cops weren't too happy. They sent me here. They said something about Dad being irresponsible for not noticing I was missing for five years? I don't know, but I guess I'm here now," Lucy said with a sigh. Her voice sounded dull and lifeless.

"You were on your own for five years," Layla said in a low voice. It wasn't a question. "Where did you even go?"

"I traveled all over. I was in Paris for a while, then I went to Rome, I think I took the wrong plane and went to Cuba one time. I pretty much went everywhere I could to get away from Japan. I can't believe you moved clear to Fiore," Lucy laughed. "This is the first time I've been here, which is surprising."

Layla sighed. "I will figure out what to do about you later. For now, go sit over there. I have to teach," she said, pointing to the area the parents would sit while waiting for their kids to be finished with class.

Lucy rolled her eyes and found a seat. She watched her mother show the kids some weird kick and have them try. All the kids looked so tired, but they didn't complain or stop. They did everything as they were instructed to.

A few parents came in, so Lucy knew the class was going to end soon. She was sitting at the farthest seat from the door, so she didn't have to sit by any parents. They all seemed interested in what their kids were doing. She didn't understand the excitement.

"I'll see you all next class!" Layla told her students. They all bowed to her and went to the back room to grab their things. She smiled at their retreating forms before walking over to the parents. "Your kids are doing great," she told them. "I think I will be holding another test in a few weeks. Most of the students should pass."

Lucy watched as Layla talked with each parent individually for a few minutes. She seemed to really enjoy teaching. Lucy couldn't remember her mom, so she didn't realize she was this kind and nice. The few stories her father told made her mother sound mean and heartless.

"Hello."

Lucy flinched and looked at the little girl in front of her. She had long blue hair and big brown eyes. She was smiling bright.

"Hi?" Lucy asked.

"You look just like Master Layla," she said. "I'm Wendy. What's your name?"

The girl was a little too sweet for Lucy. She was about to say a few colorful words to the girl, but Layla talked before her.

"You've been working hard," the older women said, kneeling beside the girl. "You'll be just as strong as your brother before you know it!"

"I don't know about that," Wendy said, blushing. She had her hands behind her back and she was looking at the ground.

"Speak of the devil!" Layla said. The bell on the door went off and a man stepped inside. Lucy looked at him from bottom to top.

He was wearing black dress shoes, black dress pants, and a McDonald's shirt. A black duffle bag was slung around his shoulder. He took off his red hat, causing Lucy to look at his face. He had long raven hair. His eyes were pitch black.

"Have fun flipping burgers?" Layla teased. The man rolled his eyes and picked Wendy up, who was patiently waiting to get the attention she wanted.

"You're all sweaty. You've been working her too hard, Layla," he laughed. He set Wendy down. His eyes locked with Lucy's.

"Gray, this is my daughter Lucy. Lucy, this is Gray Fullbuster," Layla introduced the two. Lucy rolled her eyes and looked away, crossing her arms. Layla sighed. "Why don't you go get changed, Gray?"

"Yes ma'am," he said. He ruffled Wendy's hair before going to one of the back rooms to change.

"Lucy," Layla said in a stern voice. "You need to drop the attitude. I don't know where you learned to behave like this, but it stops now. Do you understand?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she mumbled. She didn't like how controlling her mother was being. She was tired from the plane ride, starving because it was almost seven at night, and really wasn't in the mood to be scolded.

Gray emerged from the back room wearing black sweatpants, a tight gray muscle shirt, and a black belt tied around his waist. He did, in fact, have a black belt in karate.

Layla took off her long-sleeved shirt, revealing a white shirt-sleeved shirt. She was wearing the same black pants as Gray. They were both bare-footed.

"Whenever you're ready," Layla said, pulling her hair into a ponytail. Gray stretched his arms across his body, bent down and touched the floor, then stretched his hands above his head. He put his hands up. Layla followed his action.

"What are they doing?" Lucy asked Wendy. She watched as Gray lunged at Layla. They started punching and kicking at each other. They dodged each other's attacks flawlessly.

"Gray is going to represent Master Layla in the NYMAC," Wendy explained. "He needs practice fighting."

"What's the NYAML?" Lucy asked.

"NYMAC," Wendy corrected. "It stands for National Youth Martial Arts Competition."

"You mean all of Fiore?" Lucy asked, shocked. Fiore wasn't exactly a small country.

"Yep!" Wendy said with a smile. She smiled a lot. "Gray was actually Master Layla's first student. She started teaching him six years ago, a year after she moved here. After she saw how well Gray was doing, she decided to start a school. That was four years ago."

Lucy watched Gray kick Layla's side. She fell to the ground, but did a quick roll and stood back up in one swift motion. Gray threw a punch, but she grabbed his fist. She smashed her elbow into his jaw with an upper motion. He fell to the ground.

"Gray!" Wendy yelled. She ran over to her brother. He sat up and wiped blood off his lip. The blood was quickly replaced, though, by more.

"That was a little rough, don't you think?" he asked. "Damn," he mumbled under his breath. Wendy ran over to the side of the room and grabbed a cloth. She used the sunk in the bathroom to wet it. She came back a minute later and pressed the cool fabric to his mouth.

"Buck up, Gray!" Layla yelled. "Do you think people will go easy on you? Those kids are brutal. I've seen kids leave the place with broken ribs. Anything goes. Now get up and fight!"

Gray smirked and handed Wendy the clothe. She was going to complain, but she saw the look Layla was giving her. She quickly went back to Lucy.

"She's a bitch," Lucy said. She watched Layla attack Gray once again.

"Don't say things like that!" Wendy gasped. "Master Layla knows what's best." Lucy scoffed and crossed her arms.

After thirty minutes, the fight finally ended. Gray sweep kicked Layla. While her feet were off the ground, he put his forearm against her neck and tackled her to the ground. He put slight pressure on her throat, stopping her breathing. His free hand was holding her wrists, and his ankles were holding her legs down. She was caught.

He let her go and helped her up. She grabbed his arm, flipped him over her shoulder, and laughed. "Great job! I think that's the first time you beat me!" she said.

Gray groaned and sat up. "I don't think the flip was necessary, though," he said, rubbing his head. Wendy came over and jumped on him, hugging him.

"Good job!" she said happily.

"That's enough for tonight. I think we'll work on your strength next class. You seem to lose it with speed," Layla said. "After you change, we'll all go eat somewhere, my treat." Wendy got off Gray so he could go change.

"Lucy!" Layla called. The blonde looked up when her name was called. "Take your bag upstairs."

"Upstairs? You mean we live here?!" she half-yelled.

"We have a four bedroom apartment upstairs. I own it, though. Now hurry up; I'm starving!"

Lucy rolled her eyes and took her bag upstairs. She was surprised by the largeness of the place. The first room is a large living room with two couches, a loveseat, a coffee table, and a flat screen TV. The kitchen is off the living room. The kitchen has double ovens and an island, so it's big. Down a hallway, there are five doors. The first one is a bathroom, and the rest are bedrooms. The first bedroom is used as a office. Bookshelves full of books line the room, and a desk is positioned in the center of the room. The second bedroom is a brown-themed room, who's Lucy assumed is Layla's. The third bedroom looks like a teenage boy's room. Lucy didn't give it much thought. The last bedroom had a dresser, a closet, a vanity, and a full sized bed. The room is all green. Lucy assumed it was a guest bedroom.

She sighed and jumped on the bed. She didn't realize how tired she actually was. The second she laid on the soft bed, she fell into a deep sleep, not knowing what awaits her the next day.

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**This chapter was pretty long. I am not sure if the others will be this long. You will see more of Lucy is the next chapter. **

**Please Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Happy Valentine's Day!**

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Lucy groaned as she rolled over in bed. She felt a sting in her stomach, so she sat up. She looked down and saw that she never changed into her pajamas. Her belly button was red from where her ring rubbed in her sleep.

Lucy looked around her. She was in the green room, which was now her room. She could smell eggs and bacon, so she got out of bed. She trailed her hand along the unfamiliar wall as she walked down the long hallway.

When she reached her kitchen, she saw Layla cooking at the stove. She had an apron tied around her, and her hair was loose, ending at her shoulders.

"You're awake," Layla said without turning around. The bacon sizzled as she flipped the thin pieces of pork. "I was just about to go wake you up." She wiped her hands on her apron and turned around, a smile on her face, as if this morning was just like any other. It wasn't, though. Lucy was there, so it was different.

"You went out to eat without me," Lucy noted. She really didn't care, but she felt she needed to bring the fact to her mother's attention.

"You were sleeping, and I didn't want to wake you," Layla said. Lucy rolled her eyes. "Why don't you go take a shower?"

Lucy walked towards the bathroom without saying anything. She took off her clothes and belly button ring, replacing it will a stud. She turned the hot water on so it could heat up. She sighed in relief when the warm water hit her back.

She couldn't believe that she was in Fiore. Just a few weeks ago, she was in America. She definitely had an interesting life. She kept a book with stamps from everywhere she's been. The book is pretty full so far. Her passport was not collecting dust over the years, that's for sure. She still couldn't believe that a kid could move from country to country so easily. Her faster was rich, true, but he must have noticed money missing. She stole one of his credit cards before she left, and she used it for everything. He must not pay attention to his bills.

Lucy shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. She combed her hair and brushed her teeth with the toothbrush that magically appeared on the sink. After wrapping her body in a fluffy white towel, she set out for her room.

She changed into black and white jeans. The right pant leg was black while right was checkered. Her shirt was red and torn up, a black tank top underneath. She kept her diamond stud in her belly-button. She changed her tongue ring to a black one. She put black eyeliner on, and no other make-up on her face. She braided all her hair to one side. Finally, she put her black converse on. Satisfied, she left for the kitchen, hoping for some breakfast. She hadn't eaten since lunch the day before, so she was hungry.

Layla was setting two plates down at the island when she entered the room. Three barstools sat there, so Lucy assumed that's where she would eat all her meals.

"We have twenty minutes before we have to leave," Layla said. Lucy sat down at one of the stools.

"Where are we going?" Lucy asked, putting a fork full of scrambled egg in her mouth. She looked over at the clock and saw that it was almost seven in the morning.

"You have school," Layla laughed. "I signed you up last night."

"Why are we going then?" Lucy asked, accenting 'we'.

"I'm the gym teacher at your school."

Lucy sighed and took a drink of orange juice. Having your mom as a teacher wasn't cool. It was pretty pathetic, in her mind.

She suddenly remembered Wendy saying that Gray was competing in the youth competition the night before.

"Is Gray is high school?" Lucy asked. He looked like he could be graduated, but if he was, he wouldn't be competing in a youth event.

"He's in eleventh grade with you, why?" Layla asked. Lucy shrugged and took another drink. She ate half her egg, none of her bacon, and drank all her orange juice before she decided she was done. She doesn't really each much.

Layla grabbed her purse and keys, and Lucy grabbed a green and black backpack from her room. The two walked to Layla's red Ford F150 truck. They only lived five minutes from the school, since they lived in town, so it was a short ride.

The school was a large brick building. A few trees and benches were out front, and students were hanging around. Directly inside sat the cafeteria. A larger group of students were gathered. Two hallways extended from either side of the room. Opposite of the front doors were the doors to the gym and locker rooms. The office was beside the hallway to the right.

"Ninth and tenth grade classes are down there," Layla said, pointing to the left, "and eleventh and twelfth grade classes are there." Layla pointed to the other hallway. "Art and music rooms are in the same hallway as he freshmen and sophomores. Cooking and shop classes are in the junior and senior hallway. Have fun!" Layla smiled at her daughter before heading towards the gym.

Lucy sighed and pulled the crumpled piece of paper from her back pocket, which happened to be her schedule. Her first class was art. She shoved the paper back in her pocket and went down the hallway to the left. Not many people were in the hallway; most were hanging around the school, or already in their classes.

Lucy found the classroom rather quickly. When she walked in, she saw four tables. Four chairs were at each table. A young women sat at the desk in the front of the room. She looked up and Lucy and motioned for her to come closer.

"You look just like Layla," she said. "My name is Miss Molly. I already set out the students' projects for this class, so just pick an empty seat. Everyone should arrive shortly. I'll help you once class starts, okay?"

Lucy didn't respond. She started walking around the room, looking for an empty seat. She found one in the far back corner by the window. She figured a nice view would make up for an over-talkative teacher.

After five minutes of twirling a pencil, the bell rang. Lucy watched the door as everyone entered the room. The first was a girl with short white hair. She was wearing a yellow sundress. The second was a girl with medium-length blue hair. She was wearing a dressy orange shirt and black, loose jeans. The third was a boy with orange hair. He was wearing a black dress shirt, the first few buttons undone, and blue jeans. A few more students entered, then a boy with pink hair came in. He was wearing a plain black shirt and red gym shorts. The last boy was wearing a tight white shirt and faded blue jeans. He looked too familiar.

The boy with pink hair sat across from Lucy. The girl in the sundress sat beside him. And beside Lucy, sat Gray.

"Hello, I'm Lisanna," the white-haired girl greeted Lucy. The blonde just nodded her head, looking out the window. She could hear her, but didn't want to look at her. She didn't want to see the cheery face that matched the cheery voice.

"I'm Natsu," the pink-haired kid said. Lucy didn't nod her head that time. She tried to tune out his voice as he said everyone's name in the room. "...and this is Ice Princess," he finished.

Lucy tuned to see him pointing at Gray. She internally laughed. The way he fought Layla, she was surprised that he could have a nickname with "princess" in it.

"Lucy?" Miss Molly asked. She set a piece of paper in front of Lucy, along with a pencil and eraser. "We started a sketching unit earlier this week, so we are just drawing what we want. The only rule is that you aren't allowed to look off anything. I want to see a picture from your head." She nodded to the others at the table and walked back to her desk.

A few things came to Lucy's mind during Miss Molly's little speech. One, she didn't want to know what was in her head. Two, it was, in fact, Friday. And three, it was November, so the school year was well underway.

Lucy picked up her pencil and started drawing a willow tree. That particular type of tree reminded her of an old friend, whom she missed dearly.

"You draw good, Lucy," Natsu said. Lucy looked at his drawing. She assumed it was a dragon, but she wasn't quite sure.

"She draws well," Lisanna corrected. Lucy looked at her paper. She was drawing a butterfly. The picture seemed to fit her personality, for what Lucy could tell.

Just because she could, she looked over at Gray's paper. He was just adding finishing touches to his Labrador picture. It was actually really good. It was usually difficult to dry a realistic drawing such as a dog, which was why his drawing was so impressive; he drew it by memory.

Lucy looked back at her own drawing. She pushed the memories back into her mind and continued drawing. She didn't want to remember the happy times she experienced during her two years in Rome. She would just be reminded of him. She didn't want that.

When the bell rang, Lucy went to her reading class. They were all assigned To Kill a Mockingbird, and had to read the first chapter for homework. Third period was math. She got to spend the whole period flipping through the book, "catching up" with the other students. Fourth period, the unwanted period, known as PE, came.

"I want you all to run three laps!" Layla yelled. All the students groaned and started running around the gymnasium. Since it was cold outside, Layla decided to have gym inside.

After three laps, everyone played a friendly game of basketball. Lucy found a nice bench to sit at. She wasn't the best at sports, so she selectively excluded herself from the group.

"Hi, Lucy," Levy said as she sat on the bench. Levy, so far, had every class with Lucy. She talked to the the blonde at least once every period. "I'm not one for sports either."

Lucy was happy that Levy didn't talk after that. She found a random spot in the room to stare. She let her mind wander, not paying attention to where she was really looking. Sadly, the human eyes tend to follow a moving object.

Levy gasped. Lucy snapped from her thoughts and looked at the girl beside her. "Do you like Gray?" she asked. Lucy rolled her eyes. "You've been staring at him for five minutes! You have to!"

"What is up with you teenage girls?" Lucy snapped. "Someone always has to like someone else. It's fucking annoying."

Lucy felt someone smack the back of her head. She lazily looked up and saw her mother. She did not look happy. Levy was a bit shocked that Layla would hit a student, but also trying not to laugh

"If I ever hear you say that again you are going to regret the day you were born," Layla hissed. Levy lost it. She started laughing, causing the attention of everyone in the class. They all gawked at the scene.

"Oh really? What can you do?" Lucy asked. She really liked seeing people upset. Her mother's face was priceless, so she liked making her mad the best.

"I don't think you want to know," Layla hissed. All the students were exchanging glances, silently asking each other what was happening. Layla never yelled, except during her martial arts classes. Lucy looked pretty happy, but Levy was laughing really hard. It was an odd sight.

"Try me," Lucy snapped. Layla's eye twitched.

"You know what?" Layla asked. Lucy shrugged. Layla's face turned to a smirk. "You are going to start cleaning the dojo. I don't have class tonight, so you can have fun when we get home."

"I'm not doing your shit!" Lucy asked, loud enough to Layla to hear. Her mother didn't even flinch. She just continued walking to her office.

"Lucy?" Natsu asked. The blonde rolled her head around to face him. "Do you two know each other?" The whole class was waiting for her answer.

Lucy let out a sigh. "Sadly, she's my mother."

"Seriously, who is she to you?" Natsu asked, laughing slightly.

"I said that she is my mother, didn't I?" Lucy said through grit teeth.

"You may have the same eyes and hair, but you two are not related," Natsu said.

Something inside Lucy snapped. She didn't really know why Natsu bothered her so much. She could care less if people associated her with Layla. Maybe it was the fact that he was indirectly insulting her that she jumped up and tried punching him in the face.

"Although I would completely support punching Natsu, I can't let you do that at school or with Erza watching," Gray whispered, gripping her fist in his hand a little tighter. Lucy pulled her hand away and tried kicking him in the shins. She figured it was the perfect plan. If he were to move, Natsu would get kicked, since he jumped in front of him and blocked her punch.

Gray had other plans. The second Lucy's foot lifted off the ground, he picked her up bridal style. She blushed and struggled in his arms. Gray ignored her and walked to Layla's office. Levy smiled. To her, that was just proof of her earlier assumption.

"Package for Miss Star," he said while opening her door. Layla tried not to laugh. Gray set Lucy in her arms and walked off.

"I hate him," Lucy spat out.

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******Notice: I am going to start updating my stories every Monday. For every review, I will update one day sooner! So make sure you review after reading! **


	3. Chapter 3

**I am glad that so many of you like this story! I really hope you like this chapter. I'm sorry if it seems uneventful, but I really just need it to fill in the gaps.**

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"I hate cleaning."

"I hate Mom."

"I hate this stupid gym."

"I hate this town."

Lucy stopped her chants. She fell to her knees, dropping the rag to the floor. She blankly stared at the wall in front of her.

"I hate my life," she whispered. She spoke so softly she barely heard herself.

Ding!

Lucy jumped up to her feet, turning to the door. It was about seven at night, and she had been cleaning the dojo since she got off school. Layla said if she found one speck of dirt, Lucy would be out of the streets. She normally wouldn't have cared, but her credit card was taken away, leaving her with no money.

"What do you want?" she snapped, seeing who just walked in.

"It's not what I want, but what Layla wants," Gray said. Lucy rolled her eyes and continued scrubbing the wall.

"And what would that be?" Lucy asked quietly. Layla left over an hour ago, so she didn't think it would hurt to ask.

"Layla went out of town. She'll be back tomorrow sometime," Gray explained. Lucy stopped scrubbing, waiting for him to continue. He sighed. He thought she would understand. "I'm playing babysitter."

"Hell no," she spat out like the words were poison. Satisfied with the walls, she dropped her rag into the bucket of soapy water. She picked it up and walked over to the windows at the front of the dojo, ready to wash them. Water sloshed from the sides of the bucket as she walked. She'd have to mop later anyways.

"It won't be that bad." Gray magically appeared beside Lucy, holding a rag of his own. He dunked it in the water before washing the windows with Lucy.

They were silent after that. They started at opposite ends of the windows, cleaning towards each other. Every few minutes, one of them would put their rag into the bucket to clean it off. A few people recognized Gray as they walked along the street and waved at him. Lucy would roll her eyes when he smiled and waved back.

At some point, they both reached the center. Lucy wasn't really paying attention, and her hand brushed over Gray's. She dropped the rag and ran across the room, but not before he saw her red face. He chuckled to himself and finished washing the window. Lucy grabbed a mop and started on the floor. She made sure to stay on the opposite side of the room as Gray while she mopped.

X

Lucy hummed along to the song on her iPod. She was laying on her bed, stomach down, drawing a willow tree. She already sketched one for art, but she decided to make another one, but a little different.

Gray knocked on Lucy's door twice. When she didn't answer, he called her name and knocked again. She still didn't say anything. He wasn't going to wait all night to tell her dinner was ready, so he opened her door.

Lucy's hair was up in a messy bun. She was wearing baggy sweatpants and a blue tank top, giving Gray a pretty good view of her breasts. He didn't look, though. Honestly, he didn't. He was too busy looking at her concentrated face as she drew her picture. She had a pack of colored pencils beside her.

He walked and over and sat on her bed. She jumped, finally noticing him. She pulled her earbuds out and dropped her dark blue pencil.

"Who said you could come into my room?" she asked.

"Didn't you already draw a tree?" he asked, completely ignoring her question. He picked up her drawing and looked at it. It surprised him that Lucy didn't try to take it away.

A black willow tree was in the middle of a field. The detail of the bark and leaves was almost unbelievable. The grass and flowers in the field were dark, cool colors. Sitting against a tree, was a boy. The picture showed the side of his body. The knee facing the viewer was bent, his arm resting atop. His face was looking down. Headphones, although barely noticeable, were still there. Once again, the details on the clothing and hair were very exact and realistic. His face looked sad and even a little tired.

"This is really good," Gray said. He looked at the half-finished sky. The sunset, which she was currently drawing, wasn't normal. Instead of orange and reds, it was dark purple and blue.

"Thanks," Lucy said, gently pulling the paper from his hands. She sighed when she looked at the picture, specifically the boy.

"Did I interrupt your emo music?" he teased. He picked up her iPod to see what she was listening to. The song was Radioactive by Black Willow. (A/N: Song originally by Imagine Dragons; I do not own this song.)

"Did you think I listened to emo music?" Lucy asked. "Actually, if you are referring to heavy metal, I do. This band is the only one I listen to that isn't like that, though."

"I think I've heard of these guys before," he said. He stopped to think a minute. "Oh, I remember them," he said in a disgusted tone.

"Is something wrong with them?" Lucy tried not to snap at him, but she failed.

"I just don't particularly like them," he said, trying to put it nicely. He noticed her distress. He didn't take her as someone to like a band so much that she gets offended when someone doesn't like them.

"What don't you like about them?" Her tone was softer. She picked at the corner of her drawing, waiting for his answer.

"They do drugs, don't dress respectably, and they seem to get into trouble."

"We wouldn't want dinner to get cold," she said, clearly down with the conversation. "I'm not that hungry. You go eat."

Gray didn't understand why Lucy was so offended by his opinion. He didn't think she'd lose her appetite over it.

Even though she said she wasn't hungry, he made sure to bring her a plate of pasta back when he finished eating. He figured that if he waited, she would change her mind.

When he came into her room, he saw that she fell asleep. She was still laying on her stomach, lightly gripping her blue pencil, and still listening to music.

He set her pencils, along with her drawing, on her desk. Next, he pulled the earbuds from her ears. After stopping the music, he set her iPod beside her art supplies. He carefully picked her up and moved her so she was laying on her back. After pulling the blankets over her, she grabbed them and buried her face in them. He shut her light off before leaving the room.

X

"Haven't seen...been?"

"...how...competing...going?"

"...think I'll...cute girls?"

Lucy was very confused by the parts of the conversation she heard. She would wake up, then fall back asleep, but wake up a few seconds later. By the sounds of it, Gray was talking to another guy, whom Lucy didn't know.

When she woke up completely, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. She looked around, trying to find her drawing and iPod. She sighed in relief when she saw ten on her desk. She didn't remember falling asleep, though. She brushed the thought away and made her way to her door.

"I didn't think you were ever going to wake up," Gray said when Lucy entered the kitchen. Layla was cooking something at the stove. A blonde guy was sitting on one of the bar stools. She assumed he was the one talking earlier.

"What time is it?" Lucy asked. She yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"Almost three," Layla said. Whatever she was cooking sizzled.

Lucy never slept in that late, so she was a bit surprised. She could have stayed up late, for all she knew. In reality, she fell asleep around eight the night before, so she slept a lot more than she thought.

"Why don't you two introduce yourselves?" Layla asked. She figured it was about time the two blondes me each other.

"Lucy," the youngest blonde said before yawning again.

"Laxus Heartfilia," the male blonde spoke. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Lucy."

Gray wanted to laugh at Lucy's face. It was a mix between confusion, anger, hurt, and fear. Her face seemed to get more pale by the second.

"Lucy, Laxus is your older brother by one year," Layla started to explain. "When your father and I divorced, we each got a kid. I'm surprised that you don't remember Laxus. Then again, Jude probably never mentioned him."

"Never," Lucy said breathlessly. She couldn't believe that her father would hide her brother from her. That seems like something worth mentioning, even if just once.

"Laxus was away at a national biology tournament," Layla explained further.

"Mom, it was physics," Laxus sighed.

"That's right!" Layla exclaimed. "You are into energy and all that."

"Did you tell everyone you're back yet?" Gray asked. "I'm sure Mira will be happy." Layla chuckled.

"Mira will be just as happy as everyone else!" Laxus snapped. He had been shipped with Mira since he was in ninth grade, when he gave her a flower in Valentine's Day. In his defense, he gave one to all his other female friends, too.

"This is touching and all, but in going to my room," Lucy said. She yawned on her way down the hall. She jumped on her bed, and instantly fell back asleep.

* * *

**Again, I hope you all enjoyed this. Laxus is going to be a good, smart kid in this story. Did you all catch the physics conference reference to his type of magic? I hope you all did. **

**Remember to review for faster updates!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I am so glad that I already have to update! **

* * *

"We are continuing or sketches," Miss Molly said to her class. "If you already finished, you may start another."

Gray and Lucy were the only people in the class that finished already, although others were close. Gray started drawing a penguin. Lucy started drawing another willow tree. She drew the same one she did at her house, but, of course, in gray-scale, since it was a sketch. She was almost done with the leaves of the tree within five minutes.

"Luce, look at my dragon!" Natsu shouted proudly. He held up the red beast for her to see.

"One, I will break your face if you call me that again. Two, it is a sketch, so there shouldn't be any color. And three, that sucks. I don't think that's a dragon. It looks more like a messed-up horse," Lucy said with no emotion.

"Come on, Luce!" Natsu whined. "It isn't that bad!"

"I like it, Natsu," Lisanna said. His face seemed to light up at her words. He smiled happily as he went to give it to the teacher for a grade.

As he was talking to the teacher, someone knocked on the door. Miss Molly allowed him to enter. Everyone in the room, aside from Gray and Lucy, ran over to him.

"Laxus, you're back!" Natsu cheered.

"It's good to see you, Laxus," Miss Molly said. "What can I do for you?"

"I just came to give my sister her lunch," Laxus said. Everyone looked at each other in confusion. They didn't remember him having a sister, let alone her being in their class.

"Well, go ahead," Miss Molly said. She, too, was curious.

When Laxus walked straight to Lucy, they were all more than shocked. Their personalities couldn't be more different. Laxus was responsible, intelligent, good at sports, and was very respectful. Lucy, on the other hand, had the worst possible attitude, never did her schoolwork, and couldn't hit a soccer ball if it was motionless in front of her, for what they saw. They were like water and a pencil. No connections could be made between the two. At least water grew the trees that made the pencils. Laxus and Lucy had the same last name and hair color. But a lot of people are blonde, so the latter doesn't really count.

Laxus handed Lucy the brown paper bag. She grew suspicious, since the bag wasn't heavy enough to hold a lunch. It was as if it was empty.

"I better get back to the office," Laxus said. He helped in the office during his study hall, since he didn't need one. "I'll see you guys at lunch, okay?" he asked his friends before leaving the room.

X

Lucy sat at lunch, her arms crossed, tapping her foot. She was not happy.

First of all, she was forced to sit with Gray, Laxus, Natsu, and all their friends. They were all fawning over Laxus like they haven't seen him in years. From what she heard, he was only gone a week. She did not understand the people before her at all.

Secondly, all the teachers were comparing her to Laxus. She figured Miss Molly ran off and told every teacher about her being his sister. All the teachers were saying how they "expect great things" from her. It's not exactly what she wants to hear.

Lastly, her "lunch." Inside the bag, was air. There was no lunch! He just wanted to make it known that he was her big brother. He clearly saw how irritated she was by him, so he had to made her life worse.

"What has you so down, Luce?" Natsu asked. All his friends turned to look at the blonde.

"I told you not to call me that," she hissed in response. Natsu shrugged and took a bite of his sandwich.

"You should really eat something," Laxus said. She had skipped breakfast that morning, and now she wasn't eating lunch. In fact, she was the only one that wasn't eating.

"I don't care what you think I should do," she snapped.

Reason number four: she was receiving unwanted attention.

For four reasons, she was having a bad day. She just wished something would save her. If she could just go home, she could hide in her room and ignore the world.

"Attention all students and staff!" the principal announced over the intercom. "Everyone is dismissed! We are expecting snow, and our roads are not properly salted, so we can not ensure safe travels. The staff may leave after all students have left."

"Thank god!" Lucy yelled in satisfaction. A few people turned to look at her. She apologized quietly and looked at her lap.

"I have to talk to a few teachers about missed work. I'll see you guys later," Laxus said. He picked up his books and bag and left down the hall.

"Lucy Heartfilia and Gray Fullbuster," an office attendant said over the intercom. "Please report to Miss Star in the gym."

"I'll see you guys later," Gray said. He grabbed Lucy's arm and practically dragged her to see her mother. He could see the disappointment in her eyes as they walked.

"Hey, guys," Layla said. She was dribbling a basketball. She threw it into the basket, completing a hart-court shot. "What? Do you think I'll just sit around when I don't have a class?" she asked, noticing the look Lucy was giving her.

"Just tell us what you want," Lucy snapped. If she didn't leave soon, she would miss the public bus and have to walk home.

"Lucy, I want you to hang out at McDonald's where Gray can watch you. It's just until Laxus or I head home," Layla explained. "I can't have you running away on me."

"Who says I want to go-"

"I have my Lamborghini," Gray said, stopping Lucy's complaint. A smile stretched across her face.

"See you later!" she said. She grabbed Gray's hand and started running to the entrance of the school. She just loved his car. A few minute ride would more than make-up for sitting at McDonald's for over an hour, in theory.

X

"Why was I so excited?" Lucy asked. She put her face in her hands. She was sitting behind the counter, board out of her mind. She would have preferred Gray watching her at her house, but he just had to go to work earlier to get a few more hours. She would have went to work at the normal time and relaxed, but he didn't seem to do what she would.

"Here," Gray said. He handed her a strawberry milkshake. "I get free drinks while I'm working."

"Thanks," she mumbled. She hummed in delight when the taste of sweet strawberries filled her mouth. She wished he would have given it to her two hours ago, but at least she got one.

"Hello, sir. What can I get for you?"

Lucy groaned. She had heard Gray sat that over a hundred times already, and she was really sick of hearing it. She couldn't imagine saying it all day.

"Thank you, please come again."

Lucy sighed. She heard that at least two hundred times. She took another drink of her milkshake.

"Do you like it?" Gray asked, looking down at the blonde.

_"Do you like it? The view, I mean. I think it's beautiful. If I could just freeze time and stare at it, even for just a few seconds longer, that would be nice."_

_"You're weird."_

_"Wh-what?! I am not!"_

_"You're right. I guess I just didn't know what to say. It is really pretty, though."_

_"Race you back to the house?"_

_"You're on!"_

"Lucy?" Gray asked. He noticed her mind wonder when he asked her that.

"Uh, it is," Lucy said. She wasn't sure what he was talking about, but thankfully her words fit his question.

Why was she suddenly thinking about that anyways?


	5. Chapter 5

**If any of you reading this is from, or had been in, Rome, I apologize if I am way off on anything. I am just writing about the perfect place in my mind, and it happens to be positioned where Rome is. If it bothers anyone too much, just pretend it isn't the Rome you're thinking of.**

* * *

"I'm going to assign you all partners for this project!" Mr. Young, the history teacher called out. Lucy found it weird that he last name was young, when he was actually very old. She figured he had to be at least sixty, which was like a dinosaur, in her mind.

Lucy didn't realize she zoned out. All she heard was her name, then saw everyone get up and move around.

"You weren't paying attention," Gray said. He pulled a chair over to Lucy's desk. He set a paper down that had a bunch of writing on it.

"I heard him say something about a project," she admitted.

"We are going to start learning about Italy, so we all have to pick a topic to present," Gray explained. "We're partners, just in case you missed that."

"Fantastic," she said. She rested her head in her hand and started twirling her pen. "What's our topic?"

"You were the one that was in Rome, so what was most interesting? What made it different then most places?"

Lucy thought a moment. She remembered the humid climate, the breezy nights, the misty mornings, and the fresh, crisp air. Despite her hair sticking up, she loved the weather there. After her two years there, she started to care less about her hair.

"How about the education system?" she asked. "I learned a lot more than I should have in two years. You don't take tests, and everything is at your own pace."

"Alright, let's go with that." Gray scribbled their topic on a small piece of paper and took it up to Mr. Young. He nodded in approval and typed their topic into the computer.

"Come, on!" Natsu yelled. "Lisanna and I were going to do that!" He held up his own paper, proving his point.

"You like food, right?" Lucy asked. Natsu nodded. "You should research the food. They have really great seafood. I've never tasted anything like the spices they use. I bet you could even find a few recipes to try."

"That's a great idea! Thanks, Luce!" Natsu said happily. He told the teacher his topics then ran back over to Lisanna.

"Lucy, have you been to Rome?" Mr. Young asked the blonde. She nodded. "You don't look Italian."

"I'm from Japan," Lucy said. She saw he interested look in her teacher's eyes.

"Where else have you been?"

In the end, Lucy and Gray didn't get to work on their project at all. She spent the whole class period telling Mr. Young about her travels. Gray was starting to think that Lucy was smarter than she was acting. She talked with better grammar than most of the seniors, which really put out a red flag. She even knew the history of every country she visited, which was a lot. She said after she left Rome, she didn't stay in one place longer than a week.

Lucy was really glad lunch came after history. After her PE class the period before, she could use a break. She was tired physically and mentally.

"Did you guys know that Lucy is actually smart?!" Natsu asked his friends happily. Lucy rolled her eye and took a drink of her water.

"Of course she's smart," Laxus said. "We share the same blood, after all."

"Don't forget where you got that blood," Layla said, appearing behind Laxus. She had her forearms in his shoulders, and she was leaning over him.

"What's up, Miss Star?" Loke asked. He had that sparkle in his eyes. Everyone thought it was creepy that he had his eyes on the gym teacher, but that didn't stop him from trying.

"I just came by to get Lucy," she said. She smiled sweetly at her daughter. She earned herself a scowl. "Come on, lets go talk." Lucy reluctantly followed her to the gym.

"What's this about?" Lucy asked. She scowled as her mother started dribbling a basketball.

"I just want to know how everything's going," Layla said. She picked the ball up and started spinning it on her finger.

"You could have asked me that at home," Lucy said. She didn't understand why she would have to walk all the way down to the gym, just to be asked about her life.

"You can't refuse to talk at school," Layla pointed out. Lucy rolled her eyes. "Now, tell me about school."

"It's school. Can I go now?" Lucy was starting to get impatient.

"How's it going with Gray?" Layla stopped spinning the ball. She turned and shot it into the basket. She missed. She retrieved the ball and tried again, making it in that time. She dribbled the ball back to her daughter.

"What do you mean by 'it'?" Lucy asked. "There is nothing going on." Layla laughed. "What the hell is so funny?!"

"Hey, don't swear. I could give you detention for that," Layla scolded. "And don't tell me nothing's going on. Gray obviously likes you."

"That's a lie." She wasn't sure why she felt the need to deny it. It's not like it mattered if he liked her.

"I've known him for a long time. I've seen him in relationships before. I know what he's like when he likes someone. Every time he does, I tell him to just ask her out, and everything works out fine."

"This is what you wanted to talk to me about, isn't it?" Lucy asked. She could tell that Layla has wanted to say this for a while now.

"You're pretty sharp," Layla said. "I don't see why you dislike him so much. He's smart, has a car, a job, respectful, nice to everyone, he's attractive, and he doesn't get into trouble."

"That's a pretty long list. Are you sure that you aren't the one after him?" Lucy asked. She started walking away.

"He's perfect for you," Layla said. Lucy ignored her last comment and kept walking.

X

"I think we should add another picture here," Gray said, pointing to a spot on the poster. He was a little surprised at how easy the project was. Lucy told him what to write down, and he glued pictures on.

"Are you even listening?" he asked. Lucy was leaning against her couch, her arms around her knees. She was blankly staring at the floor. "Lucy," he whined.

"What?" she asked. She didn't even look up from the floor. She had been looking at the floor since Gray started putting everything together, which was over twenty minutes ago.

"Hey, are you okay?" He noticed her worried look. He was starting to notice emotions behind her blank stares the more time he spent with her.

"I'm fine," she snapped. The room fell silent once again.

"I don't need perfect," she said through grit teeth after a few minutes. She stood up and ran to her room.

"What?" Gray asked aloud. He didn't say anything about anything being perfect. What was she talking about?

X

"Sorry, but I have to go fill out some paperwork. You'll have to practice by yourself," Layla said. Gray had come for his private martial arts practice.

"That's alright," he said. He went to the storage room and brought out the practice dummy. It was a large cylinder packed with foam. The base was filled with water, so he always made it his goal to knock it over.

Gray roundhouse kicked the dummy. He knocked it over on his first try. He put it back up and kicked it again. After eight more times, he switched feet. He went through this process with a few more kicks, then moved to punching it.

"What are you doing?" Lucy asked. She came down the stairs wearing sweatpants and a shirt. She sighed when she realized that she was currently matching Gray. She really didn't understand why she put her martial outfit in with her clothes. She should have just gave it back to Layla.

"Practicing," he said. He swung at it one last time and knocked it over.

"Whatever you say," she said in a sing-song voice. She went over to the counter and grabbed the stack of papers Layla asked for.

"Hey, it's harder than it looks."

"How hard is it to knock a big piece of foam over?" Lucy asked.

"You couldn't do it," Gray said.

"Of course I could do it."

"Please, let's see it," he said sarcastically. Lucy set her papers down and walked over to the dummy. "Roundhouse kick it."

Lucy watched that kick so many times, she knew what to do. She swung her shin into the dummy. Instead of it going down, she gasped in pain and fell to the ground.

"Beautiful," Gray said, clapping. Lucy shot him a glare. "I knew you couldn't do it."

"I can do it!" she yelled. She soon back up.

"Here, put your knee up," Gray said. He stood behind her and grabbed her hips. "Now turn her hips." She blushed and did what she was told. "Point your toe, and snap out." She liked the dummy and it shook slightly.

"Okay, I got it," Lucy said, taking a step away from Gray. The words her mom told her in the gym the day before rang in her mind. She blushed and looked at floor.

"Okay, try again," Gray said Lucy put her knee up, turned, then tried snapping her foot out like she did before. She lost her balence and fell, but Gray caught her. She blushed harder and pushed away from him, falling on the floor in the process. She wasn't exactly sure when she became such a clutz.

"Are you okay?" Gray asked, kneeling in front of her. He realized what was wrong when he saw her red face. "Aw, do I make you blush?" he asked.

"Sh-shut up!" she stuttered.

"It's okay, I know I'm hot," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. He watched her face turn slightly more red.

"Lucy?" Layla asked, walking down the stairs. "Did you find the papers?" She walked over to the table and picked up the papers. She looked over towards Lucy and Gray. She had a perfect view of Lucy's red face. Lucy pushed Gray back and covered her face.

"You two are so adorable," Layla said before going back upstairs.


	6. Chapter 6

**I'll save the note for the end.**

* * *

"You all got a perfect on your projects," Mr. Young announced. "I want you all to hang them up in the room. You can look at each other's while I play the current news in Italy. When you finish looking at the posters, you can watch it the rest of class."

All the students got up and started taping their posters to the empty wall beside them. They all went around and looked at each one. Lucy stayed at her desk to watch the news, since she already new about Rome.

"In other news," the reporter on the news said. "The popular band, Black Willow will be disbanding for a period of time." Lucy's ears perked up and she looked at the screen. "We are now going live with John."

"Lucy, don't you listen to them?" Lisanna asked. She remembered that Lucy listened to different Italian bands, since she lived there for so long.

"Why are you guys taking a break?" John, the reporter, asked. "You guys are always on the top of the charts, so we all know if isn't from no listeners."

"Well," Ciel, the lead singer, started. "Our manager, Mr. Right, thinks that we aren't getting enough education. We do miss a lot of school, so I completely agree."

"So where will you be attending school?"

"It's undecided at this point. We will probably go somewhere where we aren't very popular."

"Thank you. Now back to the studio."

"Lucy?" Levy asked. She gently shook the blonde's shoulders.

"Huh?" she asked.

"You zoned out there for a second," Natsu said.

She shrugged and looked back at the news.

X

"Why do I have to be here?" Lucy groaned as she got out of the car. She didn't exactly want to spend her Friday night at Gray's.

"Mutual decision," Gray said. "Wendy wanted to see you again, for one thing." He opened the front door and let her inside. She followed him into the living room where Wendy was sitting.

"Lucy!" she said happily. She would have ran up and hugged her, but Ultear was braiding her hair.

"Hi, uh, Wendy," Lucy said, forgetting the girls name for a minute.

"Wow, Gray," Ultear said. "You weren't joking when you said that she was pretty." Lucy and Gray both blushed.

"I never said that!" he yelled in defense. Wendy and Ultear laughed.

"You're right," Ultear said. "He blushed just like you said he would. You're pretty evil."

"Wendy," Gray hissed. He ran over and grabbed his sister, pinning her to the ground. He started tickling her. She squealed and laughed.

"Gray, she's going to die of lack of oxygen," Ultear said. "Now that would make an interesting news article."

Gray let Wendy go so she could catch her breath. "You better not do that again. Ultear might not be there to save you next time." Wendy giggled and went to sit on her sister's lap.

"Gray, Mom wanted you to cook dinner before she got home," Ultear informed him. "I'll keep Lucy busy. Wendy, why don't you go help him?"

Wendy jumped on Gray's back and the two went to the kitchen. Lucy didn't realize that he was good with kids.

"Let's talk," Ultear said, patting the spot beside her on the couch.

X

"I'm home!" Ur called. She slipped her shoes off and set her keys and purse on the small table by the door. She went into the living room. Wendy was sitting on Gray's lap, who was on the floor, talking away. Ultear and a blonde girl were on the couch, talking. Lyon was still in his Shell uniform, sitting on the chair, listening to Wendy. (A/N: Shell is a gas station, in case you didn't know.)

"Hey, Mom," Ultear said. "This is Lucy, Gray's friend."

"I'm not his friend," Lucy quickly said. Ultear rolled her eyes looked back to Ur.

"She's going to spend the night, okay?" She put her hand over the protesting Lucy's mouth. Ur nodded on her way out of the room, going to go change out of her nurse uniform.

"What was that for," Lucy said, gasping for air once Ultear let go.

"You don't have a say. You're pretty fun, so you're going to stay the night with me."

"Ultear, when are you going to stop becoming best friends with our girlfriends?" Lyon asked.

"I'm not his girlfriend!"

"She's not my girlfriend."

Gray and Lucy looked at each other, realizing they both just talked at the same time.

"Says the two who speak in sync with each other," Ultear laughed.

"I don't have to take this shit," Lucy said. She stood up and walked out of the room.

Everyone looked at each other as they heard the front door shut.

Gray sighed and followed after her. When he went outside, she was sitting on his front porch. "I thought you were leaving?" he asked, sitting beside her.

"I never said I was. Besides, I have no idea how to get home," she admitted.

"Why did you get so mad, anyways?" he asked. "They were just joking around."

"Just because they were joking doesn't mean that I have to sit there and listen to it," she snapped.

"What's up with you? You are always doing that tough-guy act. I have seen you act, well, normal. I don't-"

"Shut the fuck up!" she yelled. "Don't act like you know me well enough to say that! You don't know a thing about me!" She jumped to her feet and ran off. She really didn't know where she was, but she would probably figure it out.

"What's going on?" Ur asked, stepping onto the porch. "I heard yelling."

"Shit," Gray mumbled. He sprung up and ran after her. He never swore, so he was definitely serious. Layla would kill him if he lost Lucy.

X

Lucy found a nice, dark alley to run into. She had been running for a good twenty minutes. Her chest was burning, and her legs were numb. She always considered herself to be a pretty good runner, but she knew Gray could easily catch her, especially if he took his car, so she had to run fast.

"Damn," she hissed, clutching her chest. She was trying to calm her breathing, but her heart wouldn't stop racing.

"What do we have here?"

Lucy's head snapped up. A thin man with long brown hair towered over her. She suddenly wished she wasn't sitting. She would probably be able to escape if she was standing, since she run away quickly. Scratch that. She couldn't run being so tired.

"Come here and let me see your pretty face," he said. He grabbed the collar if her shirt and pulled her up. "Damn you're gorgeous." He licked his lips and looked her over.

"Let me go," Lucy gasped. He was pulling her collar up so far, so she could breathe less than before.

"Now why would I do that?" he whispered in her ear. Lucy cringed as his breath hit her neck. "So what's your name, beautiful?"

"Fuck off," Lucy spat out.

"Don't be that that, baby." He set her back in her feet, but kept one of his hands around her waist, keeping her from moving. He held her face with the other, rubbing his thumb along her cheek.

Not able to do anything else to defend herself, she spat in his face.

"You little," he hissed, throwing her to the ground. He pulled his fist back to punch her. Someone grabbed his hand and twisted his wrist.

"Now why don't you run along, hmm?"

Lucy never thought she would be that happy to hear Gray's voice.

"I said go," he repeated in a low voice. When the man didn't move, he let his hand go. The man turned around and swung at him, but Gray was faster. He grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer as his knee slammed into his stomach. The man coughed up blood.

Gray flipped him around and slammed him to the ground, stomach first. He was straddling him, holding his arms behind his back.

Two flashlights shown into the narrow alleyway. Lucy looked up and saw two policeman approaching.

"What's going on here?" one of them asked.

"This man was attacking my friend here," Gray said. "I don't think he's hurt too bad, officer." He got off the man, allowing the second officer to handcuff him.

"Do you kids need a ride home?" the first asked. When Gray rejected his offer, he followed his coworker back to the car.

"Are you okay?" Gray asked. He crouched down beside Lucy. He could tell that she wanted to cry, but she wouldn't let one tear escape. He couldn't believe that she was still putting up an act.

"Will you take me home?" Lucy asked. She knew she was almost home, but she didn't want to walk by herself.

"I was already going to," Gray laughed. Lucy put her arms around his neck and hugged him. He stood up, with her arms still around his neck, and had her wrap her legs around his waist. He held into her thighs as he walked. Surprisingly, no one gave him a weird look as he walked.

When he got to her house, Layla was reading a book in the living room. Gray already knew that Laxus was at Natsu's house.

"What happened?" Layla gasped. She ran over to the two. Lucy was asleep in Gray's arms. The collar of her shirt was ripped from the man gripping her too tight, and her pants had small holes in them.

"She almost got raped in a alley," Gray said matter-of-factly. "I beat the guy up, and the police took him away. Lucy's seems a little shaken up, but she'll be fine."

"Thank god," Layla sighed in relief. "Will you take her to her room?"

Gray was already walking down the hall. He opened her door with his foot and walked over to her bed. He turned the lamp on. A dim light filled her room. He gently laid her in her bed. He took her arms from his neck, but she just grabbed his shirt. She mumbled something in her sleep and pulled him down onto the bed.

"Lucy?" Gray asked. He stared with wide-eyes at the blonde who buried her face in his chest. He sighed and turned her lamp off. He knew that if he woke her up, it wouldn't end well. He was too tired to deal with that.

All he knew, was that she would not be happy in the morning.

* * *

**Any ideas on Lucy's past? If you aren't a guest, I would love if you would PM message me your thoughts. That way, I can respond, and no one else will know your idea. I really want to know what you all think is going on with Lucy.**

**Please Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks to everyone who PM me their thoughts on the story! You were all pretty close. If you change your mind about your theory, go ahead and PM message me it. I would love to see who well you are all picking up clues. There is usually one per chapter.**

**PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!**

Lucy's neck felt oddly warm when

* * *

she woke up. In fact, her body felt super warm. She just figured Layla had the heat up and went back to sleep. But when she felt something move beside her, she opened her eyes.

She looked around and saw that she was in her room. She looked down and saw black hair. She fought the urge to scream. Gray was nuzzled against her neck, hugging her waist tightly. She unclenched her fists after realizing that she was gripping his shirt.

"Gray?" she asked. He didn't seem to move. She moved her hands up to his neck and pressed his pressure points as hard as she could. She heard him gasp and lift his head up.

"What was that for?!" he yelled, rubbing his neck. He blinked a few time and looked at Lucy. He forgot that he had to spend the night. Hey, she wouldn't let him go.

"Get off my bed," she hissed. She pushed his chest, and he fell on the floor.

"Why are you making so much noise?" Laxus mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he entered her room. It wasn't even six in the morning, so he did not understand why Lucy was making so much noise. He already learned the hard way that she wasn't a morning person, so he didn't even think she would be up.

"Dumbass was raping me in my sleep," Lucy huffed, crossing her arms.

Laxus looked around her room. His eyes landed on Gray. He didn't even realize that he spent the night, let alone sleep with Lucy. Honestly, he was too tired to care. He only got home from Natsu's a few hours before, so he only got a few hours of sleep.

"I did not rape you!" Gray yelled. "You were the one who wouldn't let me go!"

"That is not true!"

"You wouldn't let go of my shirt!"

"I'm glad that you didn't rape each other, but be quiet!" Layla screamed, entering the room.

"Great, let's have a fucking party in my room," Lucy said. Layla glared at her. It didn't matter how early it was; she had no reason to swear.

"Laxus, go to bed," Layla said. He nodded and left the room. "Lucy, you really wouldn't let Gray go. He probably could have taken his shirt off, but he wasn't walking home shirtless. Since you are so obnoxious, you're going to let him sleep in your bed until a decent time." She turned to leave the room. "Besides, I don't think you really mind it."

Lucy stared speechless as her mother left the room. She almost had a heart attack when Gray got back on her bed. "Are you seriously sleeping in my bed?!" she asked worriedly. He plopped down beside her and pulled her back to him.

"I carried you clear across town. I'm tired," he said against her neck. Lucy sighed in defeat and just let him be. She remembered being attacked and Gray saving her, but she doesn't remember anything after that. She probably did fall asleep, forcing him to carry her.

X

Lucy scrunched her eyes tightly when she heard laughter. It stopped, so she relaxed her eyes again, slowly drifting back to sleep.

When she heard it again, she opened her eyes. How many times was she going to be woken up? She sighed when she saw Gray still beside her. He was sleeping like a rock, so he must be tired.

Remembering why she woke up, she looked around the room. She shrieked and jumped when she saw all her friends standing in her room. They started laughing louder. Gray stirred beside her, but seemed to go back to sleep. How could he sleep through the noise?

"I knew that you liked Gray!" Mira said happily. Lisanna and Levy nodded in agreement. Lucy felt her face heat up.

"I don't like him!" she whisper-shouted. She wouldn't normally care if she woke Gray up, but he did save her, so she owed him a few extra minutes.

"Why haven't you pushed him off you yet?" Erza asked.

"I don't want to wake him up," she said. When her friends gave her 'I told you' looks, she realized she should have explained more. "We were up late last night, so he is probably still tired." Her friends started laughing.

"Fuck!" she screamed. "I didn't mean it like that!" She mentally slapped herself when Gray moved. He still didn't wake up, though.

"Apparently someone attacked her in an alley," Laxus said as he entered the room. "I guess I forgot to tell you guys that part. That's why he spent the night. Actually, he stayed because Lucy wouldn't let him go. He had to carry her here, and she had a death grip on his shirt."

"You called them?" Lucy hissed. She knew her brother was trying to ruin her life.

"Stop picking on them," Layla scolded, pushing her way into the crowded room. "You guys need to leave and let Gray sleep. He has to go to a skill-analysis today. I can't have him tired when he shows the judges his fighting skills. He can earn a lot of brownie points for the competition next month."

"Do you mean that martial arts thing?" Lucy asked. She remembered Wendy explaining it to her.

"Taking an interest?" Layla teased. Lucy blushed and denied it. She just didn't like being the only one that doesn't understand what's going on. Yeah, that's it.

"I'm dragging you along, anyways. Someone needs to keep Wendy company," Layla said.

X

"Are you sure that you guys only slept last night?" Layla asked, looking into her mirror at the two teens in the back seat. Wendy giggled from the passenger's seat.

"I'm more than positive," Lucy said, looking at Gray. His head was resting in her shoulder. He was awake long enough to get in the truck. They woke him up at four in the afternoon, and it was now seven. He was still asleep. She wasn't completely sure when they got home the night before, but either way, he still shouldn't be tired.

"We'll be there in an hour," Layla said. "He doesn't have to be awake to check-in, but it would be nice if he could attend the welcome banquet."

"Wait, are we staying the night?" Lucy asked, finally realizing that it is night time. A lot of people were attending the competition, so they wouldn't be able to meet everyone in one night.

"We'll be back sometime Tuesday, why?" Layla asked. Lucy couldn't imagine how long the competition itself would last. She would be missing a lot of school, luckily.

"Miss Layla," Wendy started. If she wasn't calling her master, she always called her miss. "Will you tell us another story?"

Lucy groaned and tried to tune her mother out. She had heard over three hours of Layla's stories, and she was sick of hearing her voice. The view was amazing, so she occupied herself with looking out the window.

When they finally arrived, Layla, literally, threw Gray out of the car. He sat up quickly and looked around. He still looked like he hasn't slept for weeks.

"I'll go park the car. Take everything up to our room," Layla said, throwing the room keys to Wendy.

Lucy looked around in awe. So many people were around her, talking and laughing with each other. The building was specially used to house the contestants.

"Why are you so tired?" Lucy asked Gray. She had his arm around her shoulder, and he was practically falling asleep walking.

"I'm," Gray said, "not." Lucy rolled her eyes at his pathetic lie. She clearly saw him closing his eyes for a few more seconds then necessary between his words.

"Have fun, Sleeping Beauty," she said, dropping him on of of the beds when they entered the room. She set the bag she was rolling behind her on the couch and walked to the door

"Where are you you ?" Wendy asked, setting her back down, along with Gray's.

"Don't worry about it." She slammed the door behind her and started wandering around.

She smiled when she found the door that would lead to the back of the building. She quickly went outside. She pulled a cigarette out of her pocket and lit it. She hadn't had a chance to smoke since she moved to Magnolia, and she was really stressed out. She never considered herself to be addicted, but she really needed one. She sighed in relief as she let the smoke pour out of her mouth.

"Are you even old enough to smoke?" a man said. He pulled the stick from her mouth a took a puff of his own. Lucy followed the hand up. It led to a man about her age, she assumed, with spiked blonde hair. She really appreciated his tight green shirt. He was wearing gray sweats and flip flops, despite the cool weather.

"Aren't you a little smart ass," she said. She blushed slightly when he put the cigarette back in her mouth.

"Sting Eucliffe," he said, extending his hand.

"Lucy Heartfilia," she said, returning the gesture.

"So are you competing?" he asked, leaning against the wall behind him.

"Naw, I'm here because of my mom," she said. She looked up at the clear sky and took another puff. "What about you?"

"Yeah," he said. Lucy noticed his blue eyes. "Have any friends competing?"

"I think I may have just added another."

He laughed and ran a hand through his hair. Lucy couldn't deny the fact that he was attractive. He was probably the first person she could say that about since...

"Lucy!"

"Dammit," she cursed. She could hear Wendy running closer. "Hey, I'll see you around, Sting." She put her cigarette in his hand and ran off. He smirked and threw it on the ground, stepping on it.

He didn't even smoke.

X

"Where were you?!" Layla yelled. At this point, she knew Gray wouldn't wake up. If he did, that'd be perfect.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Lucy said in a teasing voice. She walked over and unzipped her bag. She knew Layla packed it, so she had to see what she would be wearing for the weekend. She suddenly cared what she looked like, thanks to something blonde. She had a pair of white jeans, a pair of yoga pants, short gym shorts, a black tank top, a white shirt, and a purple hoodie. From the looks of it, Layla packed things that she would wear if she were going to work out.

"I have your outfit for tonight hanging in the bathroom. Go get ready while I wake Gray up," Layla said.

Lucy took a quick shower. Layla packed her strawberry shampoo and vanilla body wash. She brushed her teeth and hair, then looked at her outfit for the night. It was a dark blue dress that seemed to be a little too small. It was tight, strapless, slightly sparkly, and had a black bow over the chest area. When she put it on, it only reached a few inches past her hips. It wasn't too tight, but it did squeeze her breasts, causing them to stick out a little. She knew Layla would ask her for her dress size next time. She clearly had no clue what size to get her. Lucy shrugged and put on the black heels.

"Wake up!" Layla screamed at Gray.

"Mom, let me try," Lucy said. Layla moved aside without even looking at her daughter. Lucy crawled into the bed and put her chest right up to Gray's face. She kicked him in the shin. He woke up, but got a nosebleed in the process.

"Is he-" Layla stopped talking when she saw Lucy. Her dress was way too short and low-cut. "Gray, go get dressed. And take care of that nosebleed."

"Y-yes, ma'am," he said, blushing. He left to go change in the bathroom. When he came back out, he was wearing dress pants, a blue dress shirt, and black leather shoes.

"Let's go party!" Layla cheered.

* * *

**And Sting enters the story! If you aren't a fan of that pairing, don't worry. Sorry for the spoiler, but nothing serious happens between them.**


	8. Chapter 8 (2-27)

**I realized that I seem to update every few days, which means you guys might get confused on which chapters to read, if you only get on this site once a week. For the chapter titles, I'm going to start putting the date it was uploaded. **

**I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Oh. My. God," Gray and Lucy said at once. They entered a huge ballroom. A large area was cleared in the center of the room, and people were dancing. A DJ was in the back, playing popular music. Tables were in the front of the room. The adults were all there, talking with each other. At the left side of the room, there was a door open. Lucy could see a bunch of kids playing inside.

"Go ahead," Layla laughed. Wendy smiled and ran off. "Lucy, behave. Gray, I want to go introduce you to a few friends of mine."

Lucy walked into the crowd. A few guys smiled at her, but they didn't say anything. They were definitely looking at her, though. A few girls even scoffed and glared. She almost laughed at them. With their flat chest, they were clearly jealous.

She felt someone grab her arm and pull her away. She looked up and saw Sting. He pulled her to the side of the room where they could actually talk.

"You know that you should wear clothes to these events, right?" Sting asked. Lucy could see that he was trying not to look anywhere but her face.

She looked at his black dress pants. He was still wearing his flip flops. His white dress shirt was buttoned up, aside from the first three and last two. She could see part of his chest and abs.

"Hey, if I can't look at you, you can't look at me," he said, pulling her chin up to meet his gaze.

"I was just looking at your gay sandals," she said, poking his chest. "And you do realize it is almost winter, right?"

"Does it look like I'm cold?" he asked. She shrugged and looked over at the DJ. "I never asked you what school you went to."

"Shit, what school do I go to?" she asked aloud. She never really cared enough to ask what school. "Fairy Tail?" It was more of a question.

"Sabertooth," Sting said. Lucy didn't bother asking where that was. "You don't really want to be here, do you?"

"Hell no," Lucy laughed. "I'm glad I came thought." She smiled up at Sting.

_"Lately I been, I been losing sleep_

_Dreaming about the things that we could be_

_But baby, I been, I been prayin' hard_

_Said no more counting dollars_

_We'll be counting stars_

_Yeah, we'll be counting stars."_

(A/N; I do not own Counting Stars by One Republic.)

Sting started singing along as the song continued. He stopped when Lucy laughed. "What?" he asked.

"I didn't realize that people around here listened to Black Willow," she admitted.

"People around here? What, you aren't from Fiore?" he asked. She shook her head.

"It's complicated, but I spent two years in Rome. I wasn't from there, but I still consider it my home. That town made me who I am today," she said. She smiled as the song ended. She just loved the ending. A slow song came on next.

"Hey, let's go dance," Sting said. He grabbed her hands and dragged her towards everyone. He put her hands around his neck and moved his to her waist. She slowly followed his steps, staring at the floor the whole time.

"You don't have a boyfriend, right?" he whispered into her ear. She wouldn't be dancing with him if she did, so he knew she didn't. She bit her lip and shook her head. He smiled and leaned his face closer to hers. She smiled back at him, silently telling him the he could kiss her. Right before their lips touched, she was rudely yanked away.

"Eucliffe," Gray hissed.

"Fullbuster," he said back with a smirk. He could see the jealousy and anger in Gray's eyes. Lucy said she didn't have a boyfriend, so he didn't feel a bit guilty.

"Lucy, just what do you think you were doing?" Gray asked her. She shrugged her arm away from him. "You shouldn't be talking to him."

"I can talk to whoever the hell I want. You aren't my fucking father. Actually, I wouldn't listen to you if you were," she snapped. She ran away from her father, so that says how many shits she gives to that man.

"You're going back to Layla. I'm not going to stand here and let you dance with this scum," Gray snapped. He was wide awake now.

"Layla? You're Layla Star's daughter?" Sting asked. He smirked when Lucy rolled her yes and nodded. He could tell she didn't like her.

"Why don't you go back over there?" Lucy asked. Gray grabbed her hand and started walking away. "Let me go!" she yelled. No one heard her over the music.

Layla stared at the two as they walked over to her. Lucy was trying to get away from Gray, but he wasn't letting her go.

Layla sighed. "What are you doing?" she asked. The woman she was talking to laughed.

"I'm removing her from a bad situation," he hissed towards Lucy.

"What was she doing?" Layla asked, preparing for a glare.

"I was dancing with someone! I'm so sorry for dancing at a party!" Lucy yelled sarcastically. Layla looked at Gray with a questioning gaze.

"Gray, let her go. It's not her fault if you don't have the balls to dance with her yourself," Layla said. Lucy burst out laughing. Although she didn't like her, she did seem like the coolest mom ever. She bought her a skimpy dress and told someone they have no balls.

Lucy patted Gray's back before running off. She found Sting leaning against a wall in the back of the room. He nodded towards her.

"Hey, what's up with you and Gray?" she asked.

"You could say that our parents have a personal competition going on. The students have never got along. I'm surprised Gray didn't start fighting me right here," he laughed. He stepped forward and grabbed her hands, pulling her slightly closer.

"If the fights between the dojos, why would he fight you here? Wouldn't it make more sense to fight later at the actual competition?" Lucy asked, not even noticing that she was almost flat against him. She never was one to worry about personal space too much, anyways.

"Our conflict goes on a personal level." Sting leaned closer to her. "And I think it just got a little more personal."

"Lucy!"

She groaned and looked behind her, wondering who was interrupting her this time. Couldn't she just enjoy her night without disturbed?

"What is it, Wendy?" Lucy sighed. She moved away from Sting and leaned over to be at the girl's level.

"I wanted you to meet my new friend!" she said happily. Lucy nodded. "I'll go get him!" She smiled and ran back to the playroom.

"I can totally see up your dress right now," Sting said. Lucy blushed and stood back up. She forgot that the dress was short. She wasn't used to wearing skirts, let alone short ones.

"Him?" Lucy asked.

"What are you talking about?" Sting asked, draping his arms over her shoulders.

"She said him. Her new friend is a boy," she said. Wendy ran ran back up to them, dragging a boy with brown hair behind her.

"This is Romeo!" she said happily.

"Hi Romeo, I'm Lucy," she said, leaning down to his level. She blushed and stood back up, completely forgetting about her dress. She cursed her weakness around kids. She didn't even realize why she was letting this side of her show, anyways.

"H-hi," he stuttered. He blushed and looked back at his feet.

"L-Lucy?" Wendy asked nervously. "Wh-who is th-that?" Lucy looked behind her at Sting.

"Why?" she asked sceptically.

"Get away from him!" Wendy yelled. She grabbed Lucy's hand and pulled her closer. "He's bad!"

Lucy couldn't help but laugh. "Listen, kid," she said, ruffling Wendy's hair. "I'll be fine. Why don't you go play with Romeo?" Wendy looked back at Sting. He smiled and waved at her.

"Actually, I'm kind of tired. Will you go up to the room with me?" She rubbed her eyes for effect.

"Go tell Mom. I'll be right there," she said, standing back up straight. When did she lean back down?! Wendy smiled and ran off with Romeo. Lucy could see through her lie.

"Do you want me to see your underwear or something?" Sting asked. If she didn't, she should really stop talking to kids. He figured she got that from Layla. He would always see her leaning down to talk to little kids.

"I'm not used to dresses, okay?" She blushed and crossed her arms. Sting could just tell by the way she acted that she wasn't a dress person.

"Why don't you give me your number?" he asked. "We'll meet up some other time. Maybe I'll sneak out and buy you some cigarettes. I noticed you only had a few left."

"How can you buy them?" she asked while putting her number in Sting's phone.

"I'm eighteen. You're seventeen, right?" He put his phone back into his pocket.

"I'm sixteen." She was going to say something else, but Wendy appeared. She grabbed her hand and started dragging her away. She smiled at Sting before turning around. She didn't trust the little girl to navigate her through so many people without looking foward.

When they got up to the room, Lucy jumped on the first bed, not even bothering to change. She wasn't awake long enough to see where Wendy went to sleep.

X

"Gray!" Layla yelled. She just watched her student get punched in the face. His first assessment was taking place, and he wasn't doing too well. All he had to do was fight one of the judges as long as he could. He seemed too distracted to fight, though. He kept getting punched and kicked.

"I'm fine," Gray said. He stood up and wiped the blood from his mouth.

"You're not fine," Layla sighed. She turned to the judges sitting at the table beside her. "Could you have Gray fight later? He seems a little distracted."

"Only because you're students are usually in the top five," the one judge said. Layla thanked them. She walked over to Gray and grabbed his collar. She swiftly dragged him back to their room.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked, through in him on the bed. She sat down beside him. Her face didn't show anger, but concern.

"I just have a lot on my mind," he said, looking anywhere but the woman beside him.

"You can't still be upset about Lucy dancing with a random guy," she sighed. She really didn't understand why he was so jealous.

"Sting Eucliffe," he said quietly. Layla gave him an angry look for mentioning him. "She was dancing with Sting," he clarified.

"I'll kill her!" Layla yelled, standing up. "No, I'll kill him!"

"Miss Layla?" Wendy asked. She came out of the mini kitchen, holding a cup of juice.

"Where is Lucy?!"

"She left about an hour ago," she explained. "She didn't tell me where she was going, though."

"Gray, go find her," Layla hissed. He ran out the door. He knew better than to make an angry Layla wait.

X

"Lucy!"

The blonde quickly his her cigarette behind her back. She sighed in relief when it was only Sting. She put the stick back in her mouth.

"I got you something," he said. He leaned on the wall behind him and pulled something out of his pocket. A small box, to be more specific.

"God, I love you," she said happily. She held the box of cigarettes to her chest. She didn't know he was serious about getting them for her.

"I just finished my evaluation, so I'm don't have anything to do for a while. I figured we could hang out," he said. He grabbed her hands and smiled at her. She let the cigarette fall from her mouth, stomping it out.

X

"Where is she?!" Gray asked to no one in particular. He had been searching the large building for almost an hour. The blonde was nowhere to be found.

He put his hand on the door before him. He doubted that she would be outside, but he had nowhere else to check. He sighed before pushing it open.

He came face-to-face with Sting.

"Gray," he said, honestly surprised.

"Is Lucy out here?" Gray asked.

"Yeah." Before Sting left, he leaned to Gray's ear. "You know, Lucy has a tongue piercing."

"I could kill you," Gray hissed. He didn't even want to think about how Sting knew about Lucy's tongue ring. He only knew himself because Layla told him, for some unknown reason.

"Lucy?" Gray asked, walking through the door. He watched her hide something behind her back.

"G-gray?" she asked nervously.

"Come on, I want you to watch my fight," he lied. Okay, he did want her to watch, but that wasn't the reason he wanted her back inside.

"Whatever."

Gray ended up winning his fight, which wasn't suppose to happen. The judge was suppose to beat him, not the other way around.


	9. Chapter 9 (3-1)

**A couple of you guys didn't understand the last paragraph of the last chapter. I guess it was a little confusing. When I was writing, I wanted to include the results of his evaluation, but I didn't want to add a whole other scene. It was a bit sketchy, so I should have just stopped being lazy and written a whole scene.**

**So, the purpose of the trip they took was to have Gray be evaluated. It's like showing the judges his skills before the competition. This would give him major "brownie points". For the test, he has to fight a judge. There were four of them, for the record, and they took turns fighting. Anyways, in the last paragraph, I was just saying that Gray won his fight. All the students were just suppose to fight as long as they could, but eventually be beaten, since the judges are really strong. So basically Gray really impressed the judges, since he beat someone beyond Layla's level.**

"What?!" everyone yelled out.

"I'm serious," Gray said.

"There is no way that she kissed Sting!" Lisanna gasped. She blushed and looked down at her lap. She met the blonde a year before when he came with his Master to meet with Layla, and she had a tiny crush on him. She couldn't believe that Lucy kissed him after knowing him a day.

"Looks like Gray will have to fight for Lucy," Levy teased. She would really like to see Gray fight Sting, now more than ever. She witnessed a fight between them before, and it was really intense. She couldn't imagine them fighting for a purpose.

"Why is he fighting for me?" Lucy asked, sitting at their lunch table. She picked the perfect day to optionally sit with them.

"Because of Sting!" Levy exclaimed. Lucy started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Jellal asked. He didn't think she was in a situation to laugh.

"Did you think I was with Sting?" she asked after catching her breath. Everyone exchanged glances. "He's hot, but I wouldn't date him."

"Didn't you guys kiss?!" Lisanna blurted out. She received a glare from Gray, who received one from Lucy.

"I was repaying a debt," she said. She thought about the fresh pack of cigarettes sitting under her pillow. She would have to find a good time to smoke them without getting caught.

"Don't you owe Gray for saving you from that creepy guy?" Levy asked, raising her eyebrows in a teasing way.

"I was his pillow while he slept all weekend. What more could he ask for?" Lucy remembered that she had to ask him why he was so tired, which she did.

"Gray," Erza hissed. "You've been overworking yourself again, haven't you?"

"What is she talking about?" Lucy asked.

"Gary's parents got into some trouble with a gang. That's actually how they got killed. He's living with his aunt, who actually married into the family. That's why they have the same last name. Well, the idiot here feels the need to work too much to pay back the debt his parents got. Then he wants to protect Wendy, so he works too hard at martial arts. I'm surprised if he gets two hours of sleep a night," Erza explained.

"What gang?" Lucy asked. Gray just stared at her. "What gang?!"

"Red Shadows," she said. Gray watched in horror as Lucy got her phone out. She clicked a few buttons before putting the phone to her ear.

"Hello?...Yeah, it me...Hey, I got a friend here who is having some issues with you guys," she said flatly. Gray gasped and tried to grab the phone. "Fullbuster...What are you talking about?...I guess I'll talk to you later then." She snapped the phone shut and glared at her friends.

Actually, Ur was Gray's true family. He was just having one of those weekends when you are so tired you can barely walk.

"Erza was just kidding!" Natsu tried to reason. He saw the evil look in Lucy's eyes.

"I was!" Erza said. She never thought a day would come where she would fear someone. "I just made up a name to go with the story. I had no clue that you actually knew a gang!"

"How many gangs do you know?" Lisanna asked. "You must know a lot for a fake name to work."

"When you travel the world, you meet some people."

X

"Why do you hate me?" Lucy asked with a straight face.

"I'm trying to help!" Layla encouraged her daughter. She turned back to the rack of clothes and started looking.

"I'm not going to wear anything you buy me from this store," Lucy said. Layla ignored her and continued picking things out for her to try on.

"It's okay!" Wendy blurted out. "I think you'll look pretty in these clothes, right Gray?"

"Huh?"

Wendy and Layla started laughing. He rolled his eyes and went back to his phone. He was trying to explain something math-related to Natsu. He would have just went to his house, but alas, he was forced to drag Lucy shopping with Layla and Wendy. He was starting to accept her style. He knew she wouldn't give up easily. Why bother putting her in a frilly pink skirt if she would take it off in public? Oh yes, that happened. Layla bought her a skirt the night before for her to wear today. Long story short, she took it off in the middle of the street, and he got punched in the face. Why she decided to punch him was beyond him. He gave up trying to understand her long ago.

"What about this one?" Wendy asked. She had up a plain black skirt.

"You know what?" Lucy asked. "I think I saw some clothes over there I might like. Why don't you look there?" She pointed to a random spot in the store. After Wendy and Layla left, she grabbed Gray's hand and ran.

"Why did you bring me?" he asked, sitting down at the food court. Lucy shrugged and sat across from him.

"I didn't think you would want to sit there by yourself like a loser," she said. She pulled out her phone and started texting someone. Gray just knew that it was Sting. Even though she said it was a weekend thing, he knew they were still friends, much to his dismay.

"How do you feel about older women?" Lucy asked.

"What?" he asked. Where did that come from?

"I was just wondering." She started laughing. "My mom has a little crush on you." As soon as she spoke those words, she started laughing again.

"What?!" he yelled. That was creepy on so many levels.

"The other day, she told me how perfect you are, and said all of your admirable qualities," she explained. "I-I mean in her mind." She didn't want Gray thinking that she found them admirable.

"Like?" He was really getting interested.

"You have a car, a job, and she said you were very attractive." She started laughing again.

"Oh my god!" someone squealed from across the food court.

"I know!" another squealed.

"Are we going to have a problem?!" Lucy roared, standing up. The four girls looked up and paled. "That's what I thought." She sat back down. She hated squealing girls. They gave her a headache.

"What do you think they were talking about?" Gray asked, looking over at them.

"Why don't you go ask?" she asked sarcastically. Gray smirked and stood up. "I didn't mean it!"

She watched as he walked over to the table. He said something to them, and they blushed. He laughed and said something else. The one girl nodded and started talking. The other one added something else. He said something short before walking back.

"Well?" Lucy asked.

"They said I had a pretty girlfriend," he said, smirking.

"Moving on!" Lucy yelled. She really had enough of talking about her dating him.

"They said some hot Italian guys moved here. I guess they moved into an apartment complex down the road from you. Maybe well see them around?"

"Lucy Heartfilia!"

The blonde flinched and looked up. Layla came stalking towards her, bags in one hand, Wendy in her other.

"If you wanted a date so bad, you could have said so," she said.

"Stop saying that!" Lucy yelled, blushing. Gray laughed at her. He was starting to like the idea of them dating. People thought they were, anyways.

"I got you lots of pink clothes for you to wear," Layla said in an evil voice.

* * *

**This chapter wasn't very eventful, I know, but it does show some more of Lucy's personality. And now you all know Sting isn't a threat. Of course, he will be back later for the competition.**

**If you haven't read it yet, I would love it if you checked out my one-shot, _Who's Baby?_. Almost all the reviews I've gotten so far requested for me to make it a story, so maybe I will. If I do, I'd want to finish _I Do_ first, which won't be that much longer. So, if you guys read and review it, I may just continue it!**

**Please Review!**


	10. Chapter 10 (3-3)

"Use force," Gray said.

"I am," Lucy said.

"Then why didn't the target make a sound?" he asked. She put her hands up and kicked the target again.

Layla chuckled to herself as she watched the two. She wanted Lucy to know martial arts, and she wouldn't participate in class, so she had Gray teach her. She could almost laugh at Gray's subconscious flirting alone, let alone how funny the two are. He would correct her, she would deny it and pretend to be mad, but do what he said anyways. It was truly a sight.

"You suck," Gray laughed.

"I'm new at this," she whined, crossing her arms.

"I did better than this when I started, and I was a lot younger than you."

"I'm not going to do this if you are just going to make fun of me." He held the target up for her. She sighed and kicked it, proving Layla correct.

"I'm going to run to the store real quick," Layla said. Lucy jumped, forgetting that Layla was even there. "That's enough for today. Lucy will be sore as it is. Gray, make sure she doesn't go anywhere."

Ding!

And Layla was gone.

"Thank god!" Lucy said, dropping to the floor. She had been kicking for over two hours. She, for once, agreed with her mother; she would be sore.

"Hey, try an actual fight," Gray said, sitting beside her. "It's exhausting teaching you." He leaned his head on her shoulder for effect. He wasn't going to keep it there, but he noticed that she didn't push him away, so he did.

"Am I really bad at this?" she asked. Yes, she was still thinking about it. She didn't really think she was bad, but he said she was.

No response.

'Damn,' she thought. She didn't realize that she was so awful he couldn't answer her. That's not why he didn't answer, though. She flinched when his head fell to her lap.

"You actually were tired," she laughed. He was nice enough to teach her, so she just let him sleep until Layla came back.

She got bored, so she started playing with his hair. She was surprised at how soft it was. Sting's wasn't that soft. She smiled, remembering how jealous Gray got. Layla was right about him liking her. Now that she was looking for clues, she started noticing it. The funny thing was, he didn't realize he was flirting with her.

Ding!

"I thought the window was playing tricks on us," Jellal laughed, walking in with Erza. The two sat down beside the blonde and sleeping raven.

"He fell asleep, so it's not my fault," she said. She noticed the smile of Erza's face. It was a little creepy.

"He doesn't usually sleep this early, though," Erza said. "I've never once seen him take a nap. What has him so tired?"

"He was teaching me," she said. She saw the smirk on Jellal's face. "Martial arts! He was teaching me martial arts!"

Ding!

Lucy sighed as another person entered the dojo. Of course, it was Layla. Why did it have to be Layla? Because the universe hated Lucy.

"When I said a break, I didn't mean cuddle time," Layla said. "Sorry you two, but you need to go. Lucy needs to clean."

"That's a Saturday thing!" Lucy whined. Cleaning was not a Wednesday task. Jellal and Erza left anyways. She sighed and gently shook Gray's head. He slowly opened his eyes.

"What?" he asked. He could clearly tell that he was on Lucy's lap, but he didn't really care.

"I have to clean," she said. He just looked at her. "Do you need a fucking invitation?!" She stood up, his head slamming against the floor.

"Be careful!" Layla blurted out. She didn't need him getting brain damage.

X

"Why did I agree to your stupid lessons?" Lucy asked. Her legs were killing her. She couldn't concentrate on painting when her legs were sore.

"Natsu, will you change my water?" Lisanna asked, holding out the cup of water she uses to clean her paintbrushes. "Gray, why don't you go with him and change Lucy's?"

"Sure?" Gray asked. Her water was clean, but he figured Lisanna had a reason for asking him.

"What was that for?" Lucy asked. She also knew that her water didn't need changed.

"I wanted to talk to you," she said with a smile. "You like Gray, right?"

"Excuse me?" Lucy asked. Lisanna repeated herself. "Uh, that would be a no."

"That's no fun," Lisanna whined.

"Since when am I here to entertain you?" Lucy snapped. She went back to painting the bark of her willow tree. The painting would be her first of a willow tree, but the fifth tree overall. She drew the two in class, and two more outside of school, but never a painting.

"Here," Gray said, setting Lucy's water in front of her.

X

"Hell no," Lucy said.

"You look so cute!" Layla cooed. Laxus tried to contain his laughter.

"I look stupid," Lucy said.

Layla made her wear the clothes she bought. She was wearing a frilly pink skirt that almost reached her knee. Her shirt was a white and long-sleeved, and she was wearing a charm bracelet. Her hair was put into a high ponytail, a pink bow holding it together. To complete the look, she wore heart earrings and pink flats.

"It's not that bad," Layla said. She put a white clutch in her daughter's hands.

To make it worse, they are standing in the middle of the dojo. Anyone who walked past could see Lucy through the window.

Ding!

"What did you need me for?" Gray asked. He was told to wear jeans and nice shirt.

"Laxus, grab Lucy," Layla said darkly. Before the younger blonde could react, she was picked up by the waist. "For you," Layla said, handing Gray two tickets and forty dollars.

"What is-?" He stopped talking and read the tickets. "An amusement park?"

"You two are going on a date!" Layla exclaimed. Lucy struggled against Laxus's grip. Gray just blushed and stared at his master.

"I am not going out in public like this!" Lucy yelled. "And I'm not going on a date with that ass either!"

"Ouch, my pride," Gray said, gripping his chest. Lucy glared at him. He thought his joke was funny, but apparently not.

"You two have fun!" Layla sang. She waved and walked upstairs. Laxus carried Lucy outside, Gray following. He didn't mind this at all.

Laxus set Lucy in Gray's car and buckled her. He waved at Gray before going back inside. The raven haired boy shrugged and started the car. He would steal glances at Lucy's pouting face as he drove. It was pretty funny...

...and cute.

"I am not going to enjoy this, got it?!" Lucy snapped. She got out of the car and slammed the door. Well, she tried to slam it. She ended up closing the door normally. Just because she is mad, she shouldn't take it out on her nice car, right? Right.

Gray didn't bother commenting. He gave the employee the tickets, and they got their hands stamped. He was glad they didn't say "have fun on your date", like they usually do. Lucy would have punched them in the face.

"What do you want to do?" Gray asked.

"Go home," Lucy replied honestly. She knew that wouldn't happen, so she sat on the nearest bench.

"Roller coaster it is!" Gray cheered. He grabbed Lucy's hand and started dragging her to the nearest ride.

X

"Was your day that bad?" Gray asked. Lucy ignored him and stared out the window of the Ferris wheel

She didn't understand why he even agreed to come today. He could have just driven around for a few hours, but he decided to actually come. She also didn't understand why he sat beside her when there is a perfectly fine seat across from her.

"Do you hate me this much?" Gray asked. He didn't know why he asked, but he did want to know. She always acted cold towards him, and never did anything with him of her own free will.

"I don't hate you," she said. She moved her vision from the mountains off in the distance to her lap.

"That's a lie," he blurted out before thinking. Maybe he only cared because he liked her. Maybe he only cared because she didn't have any friends, that she wanted. Maybe he cared because he was jealous of her carefree life, and wanted to know that she actually cared about something. Maybe he was just jealous that she kissed Sting for no good reason.

"I don't hate you, okay?" she repeated. She could tell by his voice that he didn't want her to hate him.

The ride ended, so they made their way towards the exit of the park. It was already dark out, so it was about time to go home. They got to the car, and Gray couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed Lucy's wrist and pulled her towards him, smashing his lips against hers.

Lucy pushed Gray away from her. She stared at him with wide-eyes. He just looked at her, waiting for her reaction. He had never kissed a girl that he didn't know that liked him back. He had never wanted to kiss a girl so badly, either. Every time he liked someone, they already liked him. He didn't have to wait.

Lucy clenched her fist. She pulled it back and punched him the face, splitting his lip. She jumped into his car, not bothering to open the door. It wasn't snowing at that moment, so the top was down.

Gray wiped the blood off his face and smiled.

Totally worth it.

X

"It is not adorable!" Lucy yelled.

"Fine, it's cute," Layla teased.

"Lucy can really punch, huh?" Laxus asked, laughing. He got the job of cleaning Gray's lip. Layla was afraid it could get infected. She was really protective when it came to the competition.

"Ouch?!" Gray asked and yelled at the same time. Laxus jabbed the cottonball against his lip a little too hard.

"You better not do that again," Lucy scolded her mother. "And you better not make me where such stupid clothing!"

"Yeah, yeah," she said, waving her off.

"Oh my god!" a girl squealed.

"Why do we always sit in the dojo?" Laxus asked. Everyone could see them, and they could hear everything that the people on the other side of the mirror were saying.

"I know! They are so hot!" another girl said excitedly.

"They better shut up before I make them," Lucy practically growled. She enjoyed hearing them squeal less than the girls at the mall. She started thinking about their smiling faces when Gray talked to them. She remembered wondering if that was the situation most people would get jealous. Her thoughts shifted to Gray being jealous of Sting. She smiled in delight when she remembered the cigarettes she had in her room.

Lucy ran up to her room and changed into her normal clothing. She put on her white jeans, a black tank top, and a zip-up gray hoodie. She quickly braided her hair to the side. After grabbing her phone, wallet, and cigarettes, she went back downstairs.

"I'm going for a walk," she announced, walking past her family.

She found herself in the park. She sat down at the bench along the small pond. When she pulled her cancer sticks out, she realized she didn't have a lighter. She decided to open them anyways. She smiled when she saw that Sting bought her the expansive kind that came with a lighter. She pulled one out and lit it.

X

"Lucy!" Gray gasped when she entered art class.

"Don't yell so loud," she groaned, plopping into her seat.

"Lucy, Gray wasn't yelling," Lisanna said, confused.

"I said be quiet!" she yelled. Lisanna and Natsu looked at Gray, wondering what was wrong with her.

"Lucy, you do realize you just disappeared, right?" Gray asked. "You went for a walk on Saturday, and we haven't seen you since. Layla was freaking out. She thought you ran away."

"Hm, Saturday," Lucy thought. She snapped her fingers, remembering what she did on Saturday. After she smoked the whole pack of cigarettes Sting gave her, she went to some liquor store she managed to find. She told some guy to buy her as much alcohol as he could with fifty dollars, and he could spend the other ten on himself. She found a nice, abandoned warehouse to hang out for the weekend, getting completely wasted. She wasn't a drinker, and she was starting to realize why she wasn't.

She was still drunk, but managed to have a hangover at the same time.

"I was just relieving some stress," she said. "Dont' worry about it."

"Don't worry about it?!" Gray yelled. Lucy winced. Her head pounded when he plainly spoke, and now he was yelling.

"Natsu, be a dear and go get my painting," she said, pointing in the general direction of the class' paintings. Lisanna sweat-dropped when he actually did it.

"Do you always draw trees?" Natsu asked, handing it to her.

"Yup," she said. She looked at the painting in front of her. She started giggling.

"What's wrong with her?" Natsu asked. Lucy started laughing.

"Lucy?" Lisanna asked. The blonde lazily looked up. "You're almost acting drunk."

Gray leaned over and smelled her. She smelled like beer and smoke. He remembered her hiding something behind her back that day she was outside with Sting. It was a cigarette. "Seriously?" he asked her.

Lucy giggled. "Gr-ay~," she said in a seductive voice. She started laughing the second after.

"Lucy, you need to go home," he said. She couldn't be at school when she's drunk.

"Oh-Kay!" she sang. She started giggling again. Gray stood up and grabbed Lucy's shoulders.

"Miss Molly, I have to take Lucy home," he told the teacher.

Lucy giggled the whole way home.


	11. Chapter 11 (3-6)

**I'm thinking about my next story being OC. What do you guys think? I would probably match the person with Natsu or Gray. You need to tell me if you like the idea, and what pairing. You can PM me if you want details on her personality, to see which one. I want to sort of be a surprise, so I'm not putting it out publicly for everyone to see, just the people that care enough to really consider. **

**You guys all seemed pretty excited to see what Gray does with a drunk Lucy, but nothing super exciting happens. I still hope you all like it! There is another flashback, just a heads up.**

** Please review!**

* * *

"Fuck," Lucy groaned. She rolled onto her stomach. Her head was pounding. She remembered her weekend. "

Take these."

Not even looking up to see who spoke to her, she held out her hand. She felt two pills hit her palm. She swallowed them without water. Her head hurt so bad, she didn't even want to move to get water.

"You're an idiot."

"Fuck you," she spat out. She still wasn't quite sure who was talking to her. She figured out that she was on some sort of bed. She wasn't sure if it was hers, at that point. It was comfortable, so she wasn't complaining.

"Are you hungry?"

Just the thought of food made her want to throw up. The pills were starting to work, so she was at least grateful for that. Why did she have to get drunk anyways? She was angry at the world. The world was cruel to her. Her parents split up at a young age. She didn't realize she had a brother. Girls were always squealing. Her mother didn't except her.

Her best friend left her.

Her blood boiled just thinking about all that. She couldn't think of anything else to ease the pain. She changed her image, started smoking, and got drunk. What else could she do? Drugs? Cut herself? She wasn't that weak. She wouldn't do something that she would really get addicted to. She hated herself enough for everything she does. She wouldn't be able to put her hate into words if she got addicted to something.

"Is your head feeling better?"

Gray.

The voice was Gray's.

Why was Gray with her? Was he in her room? She opened her eyes and looked at the sheets of the bed. They were dark blue. She didn't have dark blue sheets.

Lucy lifted her head up. She sat up and looked around the room. Everything was blue, black, and gray. Gray was sitting on the bed beside her.

"You okay?" he asked. He put his hand on her forehead. "You don't seem to have a fever anymore."

"Am I in your room?" she asked. She couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

"Yeah," he said. "It's around noon now. You showed up at school drunk, so I brought you to my house."

"How did I get to school?" she asked herself. She remembered smoking a pack of cigarettes, then wandering around town. She payed a guy to buy her alcohol. Everything is a blur after that. How drunk was she?

"Since when do you smoke and drink?" Gray asked. He was able to get past her attitude, but he wouldn't let her shorten her life. Not on his watch, at least.

"How did you know I smoke?" Lucy asked nervously. If he knew, Layla could know. He could have told her, even.

"You're clothes smelled like smoke."

She looked down at her clothes. She wasn't wearing her clothes, though. She had on a black shirt that was way too big for her, and a pair of blue gym shorts.

"Ultear changed you into those shorts and one of my shirts. I don't know why she couldn't give you one of her's, though," Gray explained. Lucy blushed slightly and nodded. She was glad that Ultear changed her, instead of Gray having to.

"Is she doing better?" Ultear asked, opening the door to Gray's room. She smiled when she saw Lucy awake. "I brought a bottle of water up. That usually helps hangovers."

"You fucking told her," Lucy hissed. She didn't want the whole world knowing. She wasn't even sure how old Ultear was, so she wasn't sure if she would rat her out.

"I won't tell anyone," Ultear said, offering a smile. Lucy rolled her eyes and looked down at her lap.

"I need to talk to Lucy," Gray said. Ultear understood what he meant and left the room.

"If you are going to yell at me, don't bother. I don't need you're-" She stopped talking when Gray hugged her. She felt her face heat up.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I-I don't know what your talking about," she stuttered. He let her go and looked into her eyes.

"I know something's wrong. You went out and got drunk. Something must have happened. You may be reckless enough to smoke, but I know you aren't enough to drink yourself senseless. You don't even remember this weekend."

'There's an idea,' her inner voice spoke. 'Why don't you rely on someone else? You don't have to drown your sorrows in alcohol, or even act out. Just let someone help carry your burden. You know he would be more than happy to. He's practically begging you to let him.'

"Shut the hell up!" Lucy yelled. She wasn't sure if she was yelling at herself or Gray, but she didn't need two voice-of-reasons.

"Lucy-"

"I said shut up!" she screamed. "I don't need you!" She felt her head start to spin again. Why did she have to be such a light-weight?

"You're fever is coming back," Gray said. "Try to go to sleep." He pushed her shoulders back on the bed. He pulled the blankets back over her.

'Look at that. He isn't even mad at you for yelling at him. He still wants to help you.'

Lucy fell asleep before she could yell at her inner-voice again.

X

"So she was here all weekend?" Layla asked. She was not happy with Gray. He knew she was freaking out, but he didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry," Gray apologized. He wasn't apologizing for hiding her daughter. No, he was sorry for lying to her. He needed to figure Lucy out. If he didn't have her trust, he could never do it. He would lose the small amount of trust he already has if he told Layla about her smoking and drinking.

"It was also my fault," Ultear said. "I really wanted to be with Lucy more. I should have asked your permission." She was glad that Ur and Lyon were still at work, and Wendy at school. Their lie wouldn't have worked.

"Just make sure she's gets home," Layla sighed.

"Actually," Ultear proposed. "Could she stay another night?" Gray didn't know what his sister was thinking.

"I guess that's alright. Just make sure she's home tomorrow, then," Layla said. She was glad that Lucy was making friends. She quickly excused herself, for she had a martial arts class to teach. "

What was that for?" Gray asked. He followed his sister to the kitchen.

"You have to figure out what is wrong with her, right?" She got bread and lunch meat to make Lucy a sandwich. "You can try to get her to open up."

"That's near impossible," he said. He really did want to, but he just couldn't.

"Just try, okay?" She handed him the plate with the sandwich on it. "I don't want to see another person lose themselves to sadness."

"As long as you don't mention that again," he said. He didnt want to remember his his father slowly slipping away from his family. He didnt want to remember coming home six years before and seeing his father laying on the floor, lifeless, bottles of pills and alcohol around him. He started drinking to relieve stress, and it all went to hell from there. He didn't want to see Lucy end up that way.

Gray shook the thought from his head and opened his bedroom door. Lucy was asleep on his bed. Her arms were around his pillow in a death grip. He almost couldn't believe that Lucy Heartfilia was wearing his shirt, sleeping on his bed, and hugging his pillow. It was almost too good to be true.

He kicked his door shut and set the plate on his desk. He sat beside Lucy and checked her temperature. Her fever was gone, and he was hoping it wouldn't come back. He's never heard of someone getting a fever after drinking, but he didn't let it bother him too much. He put her bangs behind her ear, wondering what she was dreaming about.

X

_ "I'll race you home!" he said. _

_Lucy smirked. "You are so on!" she yelled. _

_The second the bell rang, the two raised out of the room, leaving their bags behind. Their friends would grab them, anyways. _

_"No running in the halls!" a teacher yelled. The two ignored her and kept running. _

_Everyone in town said 'hello' to them as they ran past. Their friends were trailing way behind them, but they didn't really care. All they thought about was winning the race. They did this everyday, and it was always a close call. _

_"I win!" Lucy yelled as her foot hit the front porch. _

_"I beat you by at least two seconds!" he yelled back. _

_"You wish!" she boasted. _

_"I think I win," he said. He grabbed her face and pressed his lips to hers. She smiled and kissed him back. He always made sure he won, whether it was the race itself, or getting to kiss her. _

_"Knock it off you two," his mother said, hitting them on the head with a newspaper. They laughed as they let each other go. "I won't let you two share a room if you keep it up." _

_"You said it was okay since we had bunk beds!" he whined. _

_"Like you actually sleep in separate beds," she laughed. _

_"You guys...are cruel," their one friend said, finally catching up to them, but completely out of breath. The other two boys ran up behind him, carrying the bags left behind. _

_"You know you still love us," Lucy said, sticking her tongue out. _

_"No way!" the boy in the back said. "Even if I still wanted to love you two, he would kill us!" He pointed to the boy behind Lucy._

_ "Don't forget it," he said, draping his arms around Lucy's shoulders. _

_"Why don't you guys go start your homework? Dinner will be ready in an hour," his mother said, ruffling her son's hair. "Your brother is already doing his." _

_"I'm going!" he yelled, fixing his hair. _

X

Gray watched a tear roll down Lucy's face. He really wanted to know what she was dreaming about now. He was going to wake her up, but he wasn't even sure if she was having a bad dream. She may have been crying, but she was also smiling.

He flinched when she opened her eyes. He didn't want her thinking that he was staring at her. She looked up at him with sad eyes.

"Gray," she said worriedly. She sat up and hugged him. More tears ran down her face.

"Lucy," he sighed, hugging back.

Why wouldn't she open up to him?

* * *

**I'm sorry if the format is messed up (paragraph wise). I copied and pasted it as usual, but it put the text into one big paragraph. I had to go through and manually divide it again. It took be about twenty minutes, and I was hurrying. **

**Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter!**


	12. Chapter 12 (3-10)

"Gray and Lyon can wash the dishes. Come up to my room," Ultear said, grabbing Lucy's hands. Ur laughed as the two girls left the room.

Ultear closed and locked her door. Lucy awkwardly sat on the bed, not knowing what was going to happen to her.

"I want to get to know each other, okay?" Ultear asked, sitting beside Lucy. She wanted to gain the blonde's trust, so she will open up to her. If her and Gray were both trying, they were bound to figure the girl out. "I'll start."

"I'm twenty-one years old. Lyon is nineteen, in case you were wondering. I work at the hospital as a receptionist. I like the color purple, and I hate coffee. Okay, your turn."

"I'm sixteen," she started. She figured she would say the same information Ultear did. "My birthday is in the summer, so I'm not seventeen yet. I like the color blue, and I don't have an opinion of coffee."

Ultear took her turn. "I like to read fiction books based on war. I like the cold, and I don't seem to have many friends."

"I like to read about the stars." Lucy laid down on the bed. "I don't like to be cold, but I love curling up next to someone in the winter. I had friends once."

Ultear smiled, noticing that she could trick Lucy into telling her things. "You know, this really cute guy just moved into town. He came into the hospital just a week ago to fill out some papers. He was really tall and had black hair. He was really nice, too. I guess I have a tiny crush on him." She laughed to herself, remembering that day. She wasn't lying, but the story did fit perfectly. "Do you have a crush on anyone?" She was really hoping she would say Gray.

"I don't," Lucy said. Ultear didn't like that answer. "But I do love someone." She was more pleased with that answer. Was it Gray?

"Who is it?" Ultear pried. "You can tell me."

"This is stupid," Lucy said, sitting back up. "I'm going to go see what Wendy is doing." She didn't really want to see the girl, but she needed an excuse to leave.

When Lucy left, Ultear went downstairs. She told Lyon that she would dry the dishes. She wanted to talk to Gray alone.

"I found a few things out about her," she said. She picked up a plate and started drying it.

"Go on," Gray said. He didnt even bother trying to sound uninterested.

"She likes the color blue. She loves the stars. She loves cuddling in the winter time."

"Ultear, I don't care about that."

"I thought you might want date ideas," she teased. Gray rolled his eyes. "Anyways, she said she didn't like anyone."

"Why are you telling me-"

"BUT!" Ultear interrupted him. "She does love someone. I think it may be-"

"Don't even say it," Gray snapped. "I already kissed her. She punched me and walked away. Don't try to tell me she loves me."

"She might have just been surprised!" she tried to reason. "Maybe if the right moment-"

"Enough!" he yelled. He drained the water in the sink and left the room. He didn't want anyone putting false hopes in his head.

Ur sighed as Gray walked past her, not even noticing her presence. She didn't like seeing him so hurt. She didn't like seeing her kids fight. She hasn't seen him this angry and hurt since she made him join Layla's class a year after her late husband killed himself. He was so depressed and down. Luckily, Layla was her friend and offered to teach him. She managed to cheer him up, thankfully.

Who knew that the daughter of that person would shatter his heart so easily?

X

Lucy took another sip of her hot chocolate as she looked up at the stars. She was standing in Gray's room, looking out his window. Ultear brought her the drink and told her the best place to look at the stars was from his room.

Gray silently came into the room and ripped his shirt off. He didnt even notice that Lucy was in his room. She noticed him, though, the moment he jumped onto his bed.

"Gray?" she asked. He looked over his shoulder. "Come here."

"What?" he asked. He got up and walked beside her. She set her drink on his desk and looked back towards the window.

"It's a clear night," she said. "You can see the Canis Minor constellation."

Gray remembered that Ultear said she liked the stars. He looked out the window and looked at the stars. He never took the time to appreciate them. He never even gave them a second glance.

'Maybe she was just surprised," Ultear's words echoed in his head. 'You just have to find the right moment.' He looked over at Lucy. She had a small smile on her face. He could tell that a different Lucy was standing beside him.

"What is it?" she asked, noticing him staring at her. He reached out and touched her face. She didn't move away from him. He took a step closer to her and leaned a little closer to her face. She took the extra step. She put her arms around his neck and smashed her lips against his.

She let all her problems slip away from her. A distraction. That's all it was. She didn't want to think about that anymore. She decided to try something else to make her forget. She didn't want to drown her sorrows in alcohol or smoke them away. Besides, this was free.

Gray was completely shocked. He never thought that Ultear would be right about something. He was actually just lucky everything turned out the way it did, but he didn't know that.

Lucy pried his mouth open and deepened the kiss. She wasn't forgetting. She wanted, no, needed to forget. She pushed him back until they fell on his bed.

Gray's back hit his bed. No matter how amazing the kiss was, he felt like he needed to stop it. He had this odd feeling that she wasn't kissing him because she wanted to. She seemed to have a different reasons that he didn't know. The coincidence seemed too great for that, though.

Lucy ran her hands down his chest. She never noticed that he was shirtless. It did seem like he was going to bed, so it made sense. She still couldn't seem to push the thoughts out of her head. She mentally cursed her inner voice for suggesting this.

Chills went down Gray's spine as her hands roamed across his chest and abs. When her hands brushed against the waistline of his pants, he knew he had to stop. He flipped her over and held her hands above her head, breaking the kiss.

"Lucy," he warned. He couldn't pretend anymore. He knew she wasn't kissing him for the same reason he was kissing her.

"I'm sorry," she said. Gary's eyes widened. Why was she apologizing? He had never kissed a girl like that, and he didn't regret it.

"What's wrong?" he asked. He could see her eyes start to tear up. He felt like he understood her less than before. Why was she crying?

"That was a mistake," she said. She gently pushed Gray off of her and ran out of the room. She just needed to get away to clear her head.

Gray immediately chased after her. Ultear happened to be in the hallway, and she started chasing after him. Wendy thought everyone was playing tag, so she followed her sister. Lyon watched a crying Lucy run through the living room, then a shirtless Gray, then his two sisters. He followed Wendy. When Ur heard the front door slam shut, she ran outside. The whole family was chasing Lucy in a matter of minutes.

The blonde ran through the streets, her vision blurry. Not many people were outside, so she didn't have to worry about running into people. Actually, no one was out. All the shops were closed.

She tripped and fell to the ground. She sat on her knees and started crying into her hands. She's done some awful things in her life, but she felt like she just did the worst. She knew Gray liked her, but she led him on anyways. She kissed him without meaning it.

"Lucy!" Gray yelled. She didnt dare look behind her. She heard his footsteps slow down. He moved to his knees in front of her. He pulled her into a hug. She stiffened and refused to hug him back. She led him on too much. "Don't cry," he said.

He didn't seem mad. Why wasn't he mad? Lucy didn't have an answer. She didn't understand how he could act like nothing happened.

"What happened?" Ultear asked, finally catching up to the two. Wendy bumped into her back.

Lucy let a fresh set of tears pour from her eyes. She threw her arms around Gray and cried. She never cried about her life. She obviously had a lot of emotions bottled up. Sure, she cried a few tears, but she never let all her emotions out.

Lyon and Ur caught up to everyone. They didn't know what to think. They only knew what they saw, which did not say much. They didn't even want to think about the typical assumption about the situation. Then again, what are you suppose to think when a girl runs from a shirtless guy? It's pretty easy to make a false assumption.

"Let's go back," Gray whispered in Lucy's ear. He let her go and picked her up bridal-style. She put her arms back around him and tried to stop crying.

How many times was he going to chase her out into the streets? It seemed to happen a lot.

"I'll explain when I figure everything out, okay?" Gray asked his family. Lyon shrugged and started walking home. Ultear and Ur gave a sad smile before walking back with Gray. Wendy was left wondering who won the game of tag. She wondered if Lucy lost, since she was crying.

Gray took Lucy back up to his room. "I-I," she said. She started crying again.

"You don't have to say anything," he said. He laid her own his bed and laid beside her. He leaned his face against his elbow while laying on his side. She laid against his chest, crying softly. He used his free hand and gently rub her hair. She seemed to calm down a little bit. It wasn't long before she fell asleep.

"So what happened?" Ultear asked. She waited until she didn't hear crying before entering the room.

"Nothing important," he said, looking down at the blonde's face. He tucked the same piece of hair back behind her ear. It just fell back again.

"Says the lipgloss all over your face," she said. His hand flew to his mouth. "So she did kiss you!" she laughed. She didn't think he would meet her bluff so easily.

"God, did she kiss me," he sighed. Ultear sat on the bed beside him. She could see the hurt in his eyes when he spoke those words. She figured he would be happy when he said that, but he wasn't.

"What happened?" she pleased. She couldn't help but think this was partially her fault. She did give him advice, after all.

"She was looking at the stars one minute, and pushing me into the bed the next. I stopped her and she started crying. I had a feeling she wasn't kissing me just to kiss me, and I was right," he explained.

"Why do you think she did it?" she asked. Lucy told her that she loved someone, yet she kissed Gray. Things weren't adding up. If she didn't love him, who does she love? And why did she kiss someone else?

"She apologized before she ran," he said. He had no clue as to what went on with that girl. She was so confusing. She has a confusing past, doesn't seem to know what she wants, gets lost in thought, and seems bipolar.

"Just try to get some sleep, okay? I'll have her wear some of my clothes tomorrow. I think I may have some she would like," Ultear said. She had a pair of ripped blue jeans and a white shirt that was perfect.

"Goodnight," he said. He dropped his elbow and laid on his back. Lucy wasn't even touching him, so he moved a little farther away from her.

There wasn't a need to make her more irritated in the morning.

* * *

**So I've been thinking. I want to make sure you all enjoy what you are reading. If you could all tell me, either by review or PM, what you like and dislike about my writing, I think that would help me out. And if there is a certain type of scene or like or dislike, do tell me about that. I write my stories based on what I would want to read, but it isn't really about me, is it?**

**Please Review!**


	13. Chapter 13 (3-11)

**I COULDN'T HELP BUT POST ANOTHER CHAPTER!**

**First of all, I updated a new story, _Type C._ I encourage you to check it out. In case you haven't noticed, I like having three stories in progress at once. **

**Second of all, I noticed a pattern. You guys wouldn't, but I did. Every other chapter, I get a bunch of reviews right away. When I don't get a bunch of reviews, I get them over the course of three days, then I don't get any more. I just found that interesting, and I thought you might, too. It's not bad, so don't feel bad. It's just an observation. **

**I know, I updated just to say that. I have Chapter 27 finished, so I may start updating faster yet. **

* * *

Gray wasn't sure what to think of Lucy. She sat beside him in art, mindlessly painting red onto a canvas. She was randomly stroking her brush. Her eyes held no emotion. Her face was blank. He couldn't tell if she was even thinking about anything.

The one thing that really bothered him was her clothing. Ultear did have the perfect outfit for her. Instead, she asked if she could pick her own. She looked through her clothes and picked out an outfit that Gray never thought she would wear optionally. She wore a white skirt that reached her mid thigh. Her long sleeved shirt was blue and had a few frills over the chest. She tied her hair into two low pigtails. Her shoes were black flats.

She hadn't spoken to him once that day. She didn't even freak out when she woke up. She silently left the room to go change. She quietly ate her breakfast without complaint. She didn't even seem excited about riding in his car. She didn't say any sarcastic comments when Natsu said or did something stupid.

She was like a doll.

"Lucy, what are you painting?" Miss Molly asked kindly. She, too, could tell something was wrong with the girl. She usually would have yelled at any student that wasted paint, but she decided to make an exception.

Lucy opened her eyes wide and dropped her brush. Her face lit up as if she just woke up from a long sleep. She looked at the canvas before her in confusion. She looked up to Miss Molly, over to Natsu, Lisanna, then to Gray. She blushed slightly and picked her brush back up. "I don't know," she whispered.

Miss Molly smiled sadly. "Why don't you take a break for the day?" Lucy nodded and took her brush over to the sink to wash it out.

"What's wrong with her?" Natsu asked. He didn't like seeing her so upset. He considered her a friend, which meant he didn't like her being sad or hurt. And right now, she was very hurt and upset.

"Rough night," Gray sighed. No one gave his words a second thought.

X

"So the princess finally came home," Laxus teased. He expected Lucy to say something sarcastic back, but she just brushed past him. Gray followed her.

Lucy roughly opened her bedroom door. Gray wanted to follow her to make sure she was okay. She grabbed the garbage can from under her desk and set it on her bed. She opened her closet and started digging through it. She pulled out pocket knives, half-empty cigarette packs, lighters, and anything else she owned that was dangerous or illegal. She threw them in the can. She grabbed all her clothes and threw them on the floor. She moved all around her room and repeated the process. She put her piercings into a box, then threw them under her bed.

"What are you doing?" Gray asked nervously. It was as if she was throwing herself away. She went back to her closet and pulled a box off the top shelf. His eyes widened when he saw her pull a giant stack of fifty dollar bills out.

She grabbed his collar and pulled his face to her own. "Drive me to the store," she hissed. He nodded quickly, and she let him go. She grabbed his wrist and roughly led him back to his car, despite her family's protests.

When they got to the mall, Lucy made him wander around. She didn't want him with her. He ended up sitting at the food court the whole time. After a few hours, he decided to order a pizza for them.

She came back an hour later. She was holding two bags, which were packed with clothes. Gray didn't know that, though. He thought she just got a few things.

They ate the pizza before going home.

X

Gray didn't know what to do anymore. It has been a week, and Lucy wore girly clothes everyday. She stopped swearing, and she was nice to people. She openly talked to everyone, and didn't give Layla any trouble.

The martial arts contest was only a few weeks away, and he couldn't clear his head. He was so confident about it. He knew he could win. But when he met Lucy, he couldn't think straight. He couldn't concentrate in anything without his mind wandering to her. And lately, she's been making it harder for him. With her crazy transformation, he was left wondering what happened that night. They never talked about it, and he wasn't sure if they would.

Lucy, on the other hand, felt a little better. That night, she realized that she wasn't helping anything or anyone. She was just being immature and acting out. No one deserved to deal with that, and she was surprised people did. She had a change of heart, you could say. She decided to go back to her old self, the one she thought died in Rome two years ago. She was a happy girl for two years while in Rome, and left a complete bitch. And two years later, she realized it. She was glad.

And the kiss still meant nothing, or so she told herself.

X

"Do you understand it now?" Lucy asked. Gray shook his head. "Okay," she sighed. "You want to divide..."

Gray tuned her out once again. He couldn't concentrate on what she was saying. But it didn't matter. He just told her he didn't understand his math homework so she would come over. He needed an excuse for them to be alone, so he could talk to her. So far, his plan was failing. He couldn't even think straight, let alone talk about something serious. He would just watch her move, no words reaching him.

"Gray?" she asked. She noticed that he wasn't looking at the problem. He was just staring at her

"I want to try something," he said. He sat up on his bed. He was sitting directly in front of her. He gently pressed his lips against her's. He needed to see if this one meant anything. She clearly wasn't thinking straight the night before, but she was then.

Lucy froze. She didn't know what to do. She wasn't sure if she could convince herself that she didn't want to kiss him back. She blamed the first time on her emotions, but she didn't have that reason now. She hesitantly gripped his shirt. She gave in and kissed him back. She could figure things out later.

Gray smirked against her lips. He was glad that she wasn't crying or punching him. He put his hands on her waist and brought her closer.

Lucy changed her mind. She wanted to kiss him. She was glad that she decided to tutor him, even though she knew he was lying about it. She knew they needed to talk. She couldn't avoid it forever. But if this was his version of talking, they needed to talk more.

Gray pulled away and looked at her. He was looking for some sadness or regret behind her brown eyes. His search was cut short. Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him back to her.

"Gray!" Wendy cried, opening the door. "Lyon's picking on me!" His back was to her. She puffed her cheeks out and ran to the side of the bed. She blushed and screamed.

Gray and Lucy pulled away from each other, jumping. They didn't even hear Wendy enter the room. She looked very embarrassed, and might even cry.

"What's wrong?!" Ultear asked, entering the room with a broom. She smiled when she saw the blush on all of their faces. She could guess what happened. She decided to play innocent. "What's wrong, Wendy?" She knew the girl would be completely honest.

"They were kissing!" she said. She blushed harder. "I thought Gray was going to eat her!"

Ultear howled with laughter. Gray and Lucy blushed harder than Wendy. The girl was too honest sometimes.

"I'm home!" Ur called as she entered the house.

"Mom~!" Ultear sang. She smirked and ran out of the room. Gray and Lucy ran after her. They couldn't let her tell Ur.

"Guess what!" Ultear said, carefully avoiding Gray's grasp. She ran to a the opposite side of the table.

"She's lying!" Gray blurted out. Lucy just let the two siblings fight. She wasn't exactly sure why she followed them downstairs.

"What's going on?" Ur sighed. These situations were never good. They usually ended with broken plates and vases.

"Gray and Lucy," Ultear said. She laughed and ran around the table, not letting Gray get close to her. "They were kissing. Tell her, Wendy."

Lucy started chasing the little girl around. She didn't want her saying her side of the story. "It was gross," Wendy said. "It looked like Gray was eating Lucy's face!"

"Get back here you little shit," Lucy hissed. Swearing is a hard to suddenly stop, since its a part of your daily life. For Lucy it is, anyways.

"So you do have some balls!" Lyon laughed. He was in the room the whole time.

"I'll kill you next," Gray hissed. He continue chasing after his sister.

A knock on the door stopped all the chasing and laughing. Ur went over to answer the door. She came back with Layla behind her.

The chasing started again, but more intense this time. Gray tackled Ultear to the ground. They started wrestling around. She broke free.

"Tell her, Wendy!" Ultear laughed. Lucy lunged at the little girl, missing by a foot.

"Gray and Lucy kissed!" the little girl laughed. She enjoyed this game of tag.

"Tell you what you saw!" Lyon laughed. He was enjoying this too much.

"He was eating her face off!" she giggled. She shrieked when Lucy grabbed her.

"She's lying!" Gray yelled. He just barely missed Ultear's grasp.

"So if we go upstairs," Ultear teased. "We won't find crinkled papers on your bed?" They obviously would, since the papers were laying between them when they were actually doing some sort of work.

"Was that the first time you've kissed?" Layla asked. She couldn't imagine them making out during their first kiss. She couldn't imagine how fast their relationship would go if it was the case.

"It's not!" Ultear blurted out. "They kissed at the amusement park. Lucy punched him in the face!"

"That wouldn't count, though," Lyon pointed out. "It would have to be mutual."

"Oh, I know," Ultear laughed. She tripped Gray and sat on his back, keeping him from moving. "About a week ago they were making out. It got pretty intense."

"Intense?" Layla asked. She was very interested. Wendy was already sent out of the room, so she didn't feel bad about asking.

"Gray was shirtless," Lyon pointed out.

"My shirt was off before that!" Gray defended himself.

"Anyways," Ultear said, pushing his face into the floor. "She was on top of him-"

"Ultear has a crush on a patient from the hospital!" Lucy blurted out. When Ur and Layla started questioning Ultear, she grabbed Gray and ran upstairs as fast as she could.

That was the most awkward situations she'd been in in a while.

* * *

**Please Review!**


	14. Chapter 14 (3-16)

Gray smiled when he woke up with Lucy beside him. Surprisingly, she was already awake. She was tracing his stomach with her finger, humming a Black Willow song.

"Oh, you're awake," she said. She stopped humming and brought her hand back.

"I figured you would leave," he said. He knew he fell asleep while they were talking, but he didnt know that she stayed.

"Don't you remember what happened last time I tried walking home?" she asked. She didn't help her situation by hanging out in an ally, but that wasn't the point.

"Are we dating?" he blurted out. He regretted asking. He always makes situations awkward by speaking without thinking. It was one of his bad habits.

"I don't know," she said. She unconsciously started tracing his abs again. She wasn't really sure what to think. She did like kissing him, but she still felt like her heart belonged to someone else. She knew she should move on, but she wasn't sure if she could.

Gray could see that she was thinking really hard about something. "Are you confused?" he asked. She nodded. "I'll make it easy for you."

"How?" she asked.

"Do you already have a boyfriend?" he asked. She hesitantly shook her head. "Now the next test." He pressed his lips against her's. She immediately kissed him back. He pulled away from a little soon for her liking, but she didnt complain. "I think I already know the answer," he laughed, "but did you like that?"

She nodded slowly.

X

"It's good to see you back to normal," Miss Molly said. She smiled at the blonde who was happily painting her willow tree. Maybe she couldn't let go. Even if she couldn't, she still had two hands.

"You seem especially happy today," Lisanna pointed out. Lucy shrugged and continued painting. She may have been a tiny bit happy about dating Gray. They hadn't said anything, but it had only been two days. Besides, their family and friends weren't the best people to tell personal things to.

"Are you ready for your competition, Ice Princess?" Natsu asked.

"Of course I'm ready," Gray said. He was almost offended that Natsu would think otherwise.

"I think you'll take second to Sting," Lucy said. She smiled at Gray before continuing her painting. She was really starting to wonder about art class. They never really learned anything. They just painted, sketched, or whatever unit they were on. It was odd.

X

"I'm going to go get lunch," Lucy said. She decided to try the deadly food everyone talks about. She held out her hand towards Laxus. He put five dollars in her hand. She grabbed Gray's arm and drug him off with her. She needed someone to tell her what wouldn't poison her as much.

"Okay," Mira said. "What's with those two? They've been like this all week." She started to notice that Gray and Lucy seemed closer. It wouldn't be a big deal, but it's Friday, so they've been like it for five days.

"Do you think?" Lisanna asked. "I know Gray likes Lucy, but does she even like him?"

"You know, I never thought she liked him," Laxus said, "but it does seen like she does now. Usually she complains when he comes over, but they've just been hanging out in her room. And it's when Mom and I are still home. We usually just have him watch her. I think something's up."

"So how long do you think they've been dating?" Levy asked. All the guys, minus Laxus, groaned and tried to start a conversation amongst themselves. They really didn't care. Laxus only cared because it involved Lucy.

"It may be hard to tell," Mira said. "It takes some couples a little while to get used to each other before they get all clingy. If they aren't like that, though, they could have gotten together over the weekend."

"I can confirm the weekend theory," Layla said, appearing in Gray's seat. She loved having lunch the same time as them. She was never behind in gossip.

"What happened?" all the girls asked at once.

"Actually, two weeks ago they were seriously kissing. They didn't really talk about it after that, so that wasn't the start. Over the last weekend, though, I am positive they talked about it. And Wendy even caught them kissing each other, so it's official." Layla was happy she could help.

"This looks like shit," Lucy mumbled, slamming her tray on the table. The 'pizza' jiggled. "Whoops. It looks like crap," she corrected herself. She wasn't doing too great at breaking the swearing habit she's developed.

"Spill!" Mira yelled, pouting a finger at Gray and Lucy. Layla gave up her seat, but stayed at a close enough range to hear everything.

"About what?" Lucy asked, poking her 'food'. Was pizza sauce suppose to be purple? What about green pepperoni? Doesn't that mean its moldy?

"About you and Gray," Lisanna said casually, taking a drink of water.

"He's an idiot. What more do you need to know?" Lucy asked.

"About you kissing!" Levy blurted out. Gajeel laughed at Lucy and Gray's red face.

"Fine," Lucy said, pushing her tray away. "I'll tell you anything."

X

Lucy would look up at Gray between math problems. He seemed mad, but she couldn't tell. She was at his desk, and he was on his bed, so she didn't have a good angle. Him possibly being mad added to the torture of Friday night homework.

"Gray," she finally said. He didnt even stop moving his pencil. "Are you mad?" He, once again, acted like he didn't hear her. She wasn't an expert, but she was almost positive that when babysitting, you shouldn't ignore the baby.

Lucy set her own pencil down and moved to the bed. She sat across from him. She grabbed his books and papers and threw them on the floor. He looked up when she grabbed the pencil from his hand.

"Why are you mad?" she asked.

"I'm not mad," he sighed. He was just a little irritated. All the guys gave him kissy faces all day and called him thing like 'lover boy'.

"You are! I can tell!" she said. She was getting pretty good at telling his emotions.

Gray grabbed her waist, spun her around, and leaned back with her between his legs. His back was resting against the headboard. He rested his face in the crook of her neck "I'm not mad, okay?"

"O-okay," she said. Gray could feel her face heat up.

"Why did you change?" he asked. "I'm starting to miss your back-talking."

"You do?" she asked. Lucy didn't realize that he liked her old self.

"Besides the smoking, I didn't mind you at all," he said. He didn't like her drinking, but she was funny drunk. Besides, she was starting to act more sad than usual. Yes, she was happy, but he could still see that something was bothering her; something that wasn't there before.

"I guess I was just trying something new," she confessed. Or rather something old. "I didn't get rid of my old clothes. I have been wanting to go back to wearing them."

"Why not wear them both? I'm sure you can take the girly out of skirts and still wear them," he laughed. If anyone could, it would be Lucy.

"You do realize I'm wearing a skirt now, right?" she asked. She wasn't in a very good position for wearing a skirt. She was sure anyone could see up it if they came into the room.

Gray just turned her around so her stomach was against his. He gently kissed her forehead. "I really like you," he said. He was pretty sure he loved her, but he didn't want to freak her out.

"I don't like you," she said. "I never agreed to this, either." She was afraid that if she let herself love him, she would have to let go. She promised herself that no matter what happened, she would never let him go.

"It's okay," he said. He knew she would change her mind soon enough.

X

"Is this okay?" Ultear asked, holding up a gray dress.

"Why are you asking me?" Lyon asked. He was dragged to Ultear's room to help her with her date. He didnt even care.

"I need a male opinion!" she said. She put the dress back in her closet and began looking for another one.

"I don't think I would give you a good opinion," he tried to reason. "First of all, as a brother, I don't want you to look too good on a date. Secondly, I don't think I want to even consider telling you you look hot in something. That would be awkward."

"Who else am I suppose to ask? Mom is working late tonight." She pulled out another outfit, but quickly put it back.

"What about Lucy?"

"She's doing homework with Gray." Ultear thought about it a minute. She sighed in defeat and walked to Gray's room. Lyon wouldn't be any help, and she couldn't be that happy about homework. Besides, Gray was technically babysitter her, so she could interrupt them.

She jiggled his doorknob, but it was locked. She knocked on the door. She didn't get a response, so she hit the door harder. She heard someone walk to the door.

"What?" Gray asked. He actually had lipgloss on his face, this time. Ultear resisted the urge to laugh.

"I need to borrow Lucy," she said. She wiped his face off with her sleeve. He blushed and quickly looked away. "Just have her come to my room."

"What did she want?" Lucy asked. Gray laid back on the bed beside her.

"You need to go to her room for something," he said. The blonde just reached the door before he stopped her. "Lucy?"

"Yeah?"

"Stop wearing lipstick when you come here."

She blushed and slammed his door shut. She was already wearing it at school. It wasn't like she put it on just for him. She shook the thought and opened Ultear's door.

"I need your help!" Ultear blurted out.


	15. Chapter 15 (3-18)

**Thanks for all the reviews! You guys are awesome!**

* * *

Ultear nervously entered the restaurant. She was suppose to meet her date there. She was slightly proud of herself for getting a date with the cute guy from the hospital.

She looked down at what she was wearing one last time. Her shoes were simple black flats. For pants, she wore a pair of black skinny jeans. Her top was a red ruffled shirt. Her silver bracelet jingled as she walked.

"Ultear?"

She put on a smile and turned around. There stood her date. He was about six-foot-four. His black hair almost touched his shoulders. His eyes were platinum. He wore plain blue jeans, black high-tops, and a blue flannel shirt. The sleeves were rolled up, and the top two buttons were undone

"Hi, Chase," she said. He smiled and entwined his fingers with her. He started walking over to their table, since it was self-seating. She couldn't remember the last time she went on a date. Tons of people have asked her, but she kindly rejected them all.

"What can I get you to drink?" a waiter asked.

"Water."

Chase and Ultear laughed, since they spoke at the same time and said the same time. The waiter even had an amused smirked as he walked away.

They started talking. The conversation seemed to flow easily, and Ultear felt like she was talking to someone she's known for years. She knew she's never met him. She would definitally remember someone like him. He seemed smart, funny, nice, and he didn't make everything about him. She was really wondering how he was still single.

Soon enough, their food came. They took turns eating and talking, it seemed, so they talked the same amount. Only when his cell phone rang did they stop talking.

He looked at the caller ID before rolling his eyes. "Hello?" he asked. She could tell he was trying to sound nice.

"Why is he attacking you?" he sighed. Ultear giggled and took another bite of her food. She could only imagine what was happening to the person on the phone. "Why did you tackle him?...Then why did he do that?...I don't have time for this. Please don't kill each other. I need you in one piece." He ended the call and put his phone away.

"Sorry, that was my brother," he said.

"How old is he?" she asked.

"Seventeen," he said.

"I know that feeling," she sighed.

"Do you have a brother?"

"I have two, actually. Lyon is nineteen. Gray is seventeen. It's a little easier with Gray since I'm older. I have a little sister, Wendy. She's only twelve, so I have yet to see her teenage years."

"I have to deal with his three friends, all the same age. It is quite a hassle. You know, I sort of used to have a little sister."

"Sort of?" Ultear could see his pained face, but she figured she should ask. It was better to talk about your problems, anyways.

"My brother brought her home one day. She was only with us a few years, but I still love her just the same."

"If she was only with you a few years, what happened?"

Chase saw her worried look. "She didn't die," he clarified. Relief washed over her. "We had to move away, my brother, his friends, and I. I'm assuming she's still with my mother. Even if she wasn't, Mom would make sure she went somewhere safe."

"That's so sad, having to leave your family. I couldn't imagine losing Wendy and Mom. I know what it's like to lose a family member, though. I guess the only difference with you, is that they will be there when you go home."

He didn't have to ask to know that she lost her father. She mentioned everyone else but him. He wasn't going to be a jerk and ask about it. "Maybe our brothers could meet someday. I'm sure they would be friends. That's how it works when you're seventeen, right?"

"That would be great," she said. Maybe he could even meet Lucy. She could use another friend. "I couldn't help noticing that you have an accent. Where are you from?"

"Italy."

X

"Kick like you mean it," Gray instructed.

Lucy kicked the target again. She used a lot of force, but that just made her fall back harder against the ground.

"You have to keep your hands up. It may help with blocking, but it also helps you keep your balance," he said. He held his hand out to help her up.

She grabbed his hand. She pulled him down to the floor beside her. "Let's take a break. We've been doing this since Ultear left on her date. I don't want to spend my Saturday doing this, anyways." Ultear left four hours before, so she's been kicking for a long time.

"I guess you deserve a break," he said. He ran a hand through his hair and looked up at the ceiling. It could remember it being painted when he first started martial arts. Not a chip was found a across the whole surface. Layla must have used the good paint.

"I still don't like you," Lucy said, rolling onto her side. "But I do like kissing you." Gray rolled onto his side.

"That's not fair. I like you and kissing you," he said.

"Life isn't fair," she said.

"I don't know," he said, reaching out to touch her face. "I think it is pretty fair." She grabbed his shirt and pulled him close enough to press her lips against his.

What are the odds of two couples kissing at the same time on the same property?

Ding!

Gray pulled himself away from Lucy and looked at the door. Ultear walked in, her face completely red.

"You know there is a window there, right?" she asked. She didn't see them through the window, but she also wasn't looking.

"You realize that too, right?" Lucy asked. She didn't really mean anything by it. It was just a comeback. She began to think that there should have a meaning. Ultear's face turned more red.

"Ultear?" Gray asked suspiciously. He sat up and looked at her. Lucy sat up as well.

"It was just a short kiss!" she blurted out. She covered her face with her hands. Lucy and Gray exchanged glances. They had no clue what she was talking about, but now they understood her red face.

"He kissed you!" Ur yelled, bursting through the back door. Layla fell to the ground, clearing not expecting her friend to open the door. They were new at eavesdropping, okay?

"Why does everyone have to kiss?" Wendy asked, appearing behind Ur. "It's gross." She stuck her tongue.

"You just remember that in a few years," Gray said. It was as if he just realized that he could still play the big brother role and protect his sister. Lyon was closer to Ultear's age, so he never got to act that way with her.

"That's right," Lucy added. "Never get a boyfriend. They're too much trouble."

"What's that suppose to mean?!"

"Nothing, Gray." She pushed his head backwards, making it slam against the floor. Wendy giggled.

X

"It isn't that bad," Gray said. Lucy rolled her eyes and tried to ignore him. It didn't work too well, since they were holding hands. She didn't want to hold his hand, since she didn't like him, or so she kept telling herself.

"Look at that," she said, motioning towards an alcohol and tobacco store.

"And look at that." He pointed to a dollar store across the street. "I'll buy you a candy bar."

"I haven't went two weeks without a candy bar, though," she pointed out. "Maybe I have, but time between candy is different than time between this."

"Let's say I did give you permission to buy something," he said, thinking he was smart. "How would you buy it?"

"Challenge accepted," she said, smirking. Before Gray could process what was happening, Lucy was walking into the store with a random old guy. Why didn't he just make her keep walking? Better yet, why did he even suggest her going back to her old self? She dressed as a mix between the two, didn't swear as often, but apparently still liked to smoke.

"Thanks!" She came out of the store with a brown bag in her hands. The man walked away with the same bag.

"Why did you buy liquor?" he asked.

"I didn't just buy liquor," she said. She patted her back pocket.

Gray grabbed the alcohol from her. "I'm not letting you drink this," he said.

"Why not!" she whined. She jumped up to try to grab it. Damn Gray and his height.

"I don't care how adorable you are when your drunk. I'm not letting you drink," he said. Lucy blushed slightly at his bluntness.

"I'll let you have some," she said in the cutest voice she could muster.

"Not happening," he said. He grabbed her hand with his free one and started walking again. He wasn't going to let her protest and just stop walking. And if he wasn't supposed to babysit her again, she would have just ran home. He wouldn't let that either.

When they got back to his house, they both went to the living room. Gray had set the liquor on the kitchen counter, so Ur or Ultear could do something with it. They were both old enough to drink, so they had friends to give it to.

"You aren't allowed to smoke in the house, and I'm not letting you leave," he said. He held out his hand. She sighed and set the cigarette box and lighter in his hands. She knew she could get it back later.

"Do you think Ultear is having fun?" she asked. Ultear went on her third date with Chase. It had been a week since her first date, and she still talked about it. They really seemed to like each other.

"If seems like it," he said.

"I'm going to go get a drink," she said, leaving the room. "I'll get you one!" she yelled to him.

She opened his fridge and grabbed two Pepsi cans. She grabbed two glasses from the cabinet. She grabbed the bag of liquor. She poured it until the glasses were have full. She filled the rest with soda. She needed him to drink just enough to let her drink.

"Thanks," he said when she handed him the glass.

He started drinking it.

* * *

**A little cliffhanger. What do you think will happen?**

**Please Review!**


	16. Chapter 16 (3-20)

**This story has so many reviews! I never thought this would be so popular. I know I mention the reviews every chapter, but I just get so happy over them! **

**I was just thinking of random Fairy Tail pairings, and my mind wandered to Gray x Levy. Would their ship be GraVy?**

**Person 1: "I'm a supporter of GraVy."**

**Person 2: "I like gravy, too. My favorite's chicken."**

**Person 1: "Chicken? What are you talking about?"**

**Person 2: "I'm talking about gravy. What were you talking about?"**

**Person 1: "I was obviously talking about the pairing."**

**Person 2: "Turkey and chicken would make a good pair." **

**Can you imagine the confusion? Sorry about that, by the way. I just need to get that out of my system. Did any of you guys ever think of that, though?**

* * *

Lucy opened his fridge and grabbed two Pepsi cans. She grabbed two glasses from the cabinet. She grabbed the bag of liquor. She poured it until the glasses were have full. She filled the rest with soda. She needed him to drink just enough to let her drink.

"Thanks," Gray said when she handed him the glass.

He started drinking it.

Lucy acted causal and started drinking her's. Since she drink once before, it wouldn't affect her as much this time. She wasn't even sure what would happen with Gray. Guys usually handled their alcohol better, but that didn't mean that he would. As long as he didn't throw up, everything would be okay.

"Is this an off-brand?" he asked. "It tastes different."

"Yeah, it is," she said. She wasn't even sure if off-brands tasted that different. He obviously didn't expect that she spiked his drink.

And she thought he was the smart one.

X

A little over an hour later, Lucy and Gray were laughing over nothing. They were sitting on the floor, drinking straight from the bottle.

Gray was a loud drunk.

"Purple banana egg ride!" Lucy laughed. She had no clue what she was saying. She didn't remember the first time she got drunk, so she didn't realize that she was the type that rambled on about nothing.

Gray grabbed the bottle from her hands and took a drink. Lucy giggled and took it from him mid-drink. She smashed her lips to his and drank half of the liquid. She sat up and laughed. He pushed her to the ground and kissed her again.

"That tickles," she giggled when he started kissing her neck. She pushed him away and grabbed the bottle again. She missed her mouth and some if it spilled on her shirt. "Dammit!" she screamed. She took her shirt and shorts off. She grabbed Gray's shirt and put it on her.

"God am I drunk," he laughed. He knew he was because he didn't even react when Lucy was just in her underwear. He barely even noticed, actually.

"You're drunk!" Lucy gasped. "That's not good! You are supposed to be drunk, not drunk!" She started laughing with him again. She grabbed the bottle and drank the last of the liquor. She giggled and tackled him back to the ground.

X

"Did you find a gift for her?" Ur asked when she met back up with Lyon. He held up a small bag. His cousin was turning fifteen in a week, so he needed to get her a gift.

"Is that Ultear?" Lyon asked, looking behind his mother. Ur looked behind her. Ultear was holding hands with Chase, walking towards them.

"Mom?" she asked when she reached them. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We came to get a gift for your cousin. Did you guys just watch a movie?" Ur asked. Ultear nodded.

"Oh, Chase, this is my mother, Ur, and brother, Lyon," she introduced her family.

"Would you like to come over for dinner?" Ur asked. "I just put a roast in the oven before we left."

Chase looked down at Ultear. She shrugged. "I'd love to," he said.

X

"Roast, roast, roast," Wendy sang, swinging Chase's hand. The young girl was at her friend's house, and when they stopped to pick her up, she immediately started playing with Chase. He didn't mind. She reminded him of his 'sister'.

"I'll just have to cook the potatoes before we eat," Ur said, opening the door. She smelled something funny. It smelled familiar, but she couldn't figure out what it was.

Wendy didn't even notice. She let go of Chase's hand and ran into the house. She skipped her way to the living room. She screamed. Everyone came running. Chase was shocked, but to everyone else, the sight meant a little more.

Gray was laying on the floor, shirtless, fast asleep. He had the bottle of liquor in his one hand. Lucy was face down on the floor a few feet away from him. Her shirt was pushed up to her stomach. Her clothes were thrown on the couch. Two glasses were sitting on the small table.

"Gray!" Ultear yelled, running over to her brother. She started crying, images of her father flashing through her mind. She started shaking his shoulders, but he didn't even move. "Wake up!" she screamed.

"I got him," Lyon said. He sat beside Gray. He plugged his nose and put his hand over his mouth. Gray instantly sat up. He groaned and laid back down.

"Why does my head hurt?" he asked.

"Gray," Ultear cried, latching her arms around his neck. "I didn't think you were going to wake up."

"Stop yelling," he said. His eyes widened when he realized that she wasn't yelling. He remembered the day Lucy came to school drunk, thinking everyone was yelling.

He sat up so fast Ultear let him go. He didn't even care about his head. He looked beside him and saw the liquor bottle. He looked over to the sleeping blonde. "Dammit!" he yelled, grabbing his hair. "I told you not to touch that!"

Ultear awkwardly coughed. "Chase, this is Gray," she said. Gray looked over to the man standing in the room. He waved awkwardly at him. Quite the first impression.

"Gray Fullbuster!" Ur yelled. "Just what do you think you were doing?! Why is she wearing your shirt?! Why isn't she wearing her own clothes?! How did you even get that?!"

"I think she got some guy to buy it for her. I took it away from her, but she must have gotten it back." He stopped to think. "She spiked my drink!" he yelled. It just occurred to him.

"Lyon, take her to Ultear's room. Chase, I'm sorry. It usually isn't like this here. Gray, get your ass to your room!" she screamed. "AND NO ONE TELLS LAYLA!" Everyone agreed. Chase didn't even know who that was, but he could tell that she shouldn't be informed.

Lyon scooped Lucy up into his arms. He followed Gray upstairs. Ur took Wendy to the kitchen to make dinner. Ultear started cleaning up the room.

"I really am sorry," she said.

"We just had bad timing," he said. "Who was that girl?" He followed Ultear to the laundry room. Lucy's clothes smelled like alcohol, so they needed washed.

"That's Gray's girlfriend." Ultear laughed. "Gray showed up here one day with her drunk. I guess she went to school that way. Lets just say you better hope you're not here when she wakes up. She has really bad hangovers."

They walked back to the living room. They sat down on the couch.

"Woo-ooh-ooh are you anyways?

I can't count how many days you weren't there.

The walls were closing in on me,

But I don't live in there no more."

(A/N: I don't own Set You Free by 3oh!3)

Ultear jumped at the noise. She knew it was Lucy's phone. She started searching for it.

"There's a place in my head

That repeats what you said,

That repeats what you said that day."

Ultear found it and saw a text from Layla, asking how she was doing. She didn't bother replying, since Lucy wouldn't anyways.

"Set You Free by Black Willow, huh?" Chase asked with an amused smirk.

"I guess you would know them, since you were from Italy," Ultear said, looking through Lucy's songs. "It looks like its the only band on her phone. She probably has some others on her iPod, but it must be her favorite. She takes her phone everywhere, but not her iPod."

"I'm glad there's a fan way out here," he laughed.

"Did you say something?" Ultear asked.

"Uh, just that I'm hungry."

* * *

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	17. Chapter 17 (3-22)

"What is wrong with them?" Lisanna whispered to Natsu. He just shrugged and continued his painting.

Gray and Lucy both had their heads on the table. They had pretty bad hangovers. He was never passing the tobacco and alcohol store with her during the week again. This was the worse Wednesday he's ever had. Her hangover was worse than the first.

"Miss Molly, do you have any more-"

"Stop yelling!" Gray and Lucy yelled at once. The student cowered back into his seat. He decided that he didn't need more red paint.

Gym class was even worse. They couldn't let Layla know something was wrong. If she found out, there would be hell to pay. With the competition coming up, he could not get caught drinking. They about died during their ten laps around the track.

At lunch, all their friends knew something was wrong. Laxus was really worried for his sister. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Lucy slowly looked up. She looked as if she just realized she was at lunch. She grabbed the nearest water bottle, which happened to belong to Gajeel, and drank half if it. She passed it to Gray. She was already feeling better. Being dehydrated doesn't help a hangover.

"You owe me a dollar," Gajeel said. Laxus gave him the money. He knew Lucy didn't have any.

Lucy's phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and turned the speaker on. She didn't feel like holding it. "Hello?" she asked.

"How's the hangover?" Sting asked from the other line. Everyone at the table gasped.

"Damn you," Lucy snapped. She looked up to her brother. "You won't say a word to Mom if you want to live."

"What can't he say to me?" Layla asked, appearing behind Lucy. Sting was really enjoying this.

"She's talking to Sting," Gray quickly said. Layla narrowed her eyes.

Lucy caught on. "Dammit, Gray!" she yelled, trying not to wince as her head throbbed.

"I don't want you talking to him," Layla said. Sting decided not to say anything. If she knew he was still on the phone, she would yell at him. He did not need that.

"Gray?" Lisanna asked. She saw his face turn green.

"I just remembered that I have to show you something!" Natsu yelled. He grabbed Gray and ran to the bathroom. He could also tell that he was going to throw up.

"I don't even think I want to know." Layla sighed as she walked away.

X

"Why were you even drinking?" Natsu asked. He towered over Gray, who was leaning against the bathroom wall, hoping he wouldn't get sick again.

"Lucy got some guy to but her alcohol, I took it from her, she spiked my drink, and I have no clue what happened after that," he explained. He really hoped nothing serious happened. Something he would regret in nine months...

"What'd your family do?" Natsu sat beside Gray.

"Ultear was crying. You know what happened with my dad. Ur was pretty mad, too. She made sure that no one told Layla, including Ultear's new boyfriend who came over for the first time..." He let his voice trail off.

"Ouch," the pinkette said. He could only imagine everyone's face. Walking into your house and seeing your son passed out on the floor would be pretty scary.

"What am I doing?" Gray asked. He wasn't sure if he was asking himself, Natsu, or no one. He just needed an answer.

"What do you mean?" Natsu couldn't believe that he was having a normal conversation with Gray. Well, as normal as it can in the bathroom.

"Well," he started. He stopped talking and ran back into a stall.

"He cannot handle alcohol," Natsu sighed. He waited for Gray to wash his hands and come back. "You should go home." He shook his head.

"Lucy doesn't even like me," he said, going back to his original thought.

"Of course she likes you," Natsu tried to reason. He thought his friend was just being insecure like a little girl, but he learned that wasn't the case.

"She always tells me she doesn't. She says she just likes kissing me. Actually, more like kissing someone."

"This is a pretty deep conversation to have in a bathroom," Natsu laughed. "Listen, I know she likes you. She's acted the same way around him."

"What are you talking about?"

Natsu was too lost in thought to hear him. "Of course, she wasn't like that back then. She didn't drink or smoke or wear ripped clothes. She always wore bright sun dresses, when she wasn't wearing her school uniform. She was always smiling. Smiling for him, that is."

"Now who's getting deep?" Gray laughed. Natsu shrugged and stood up.

"You'll figure it out. You always do."

X

"We need to get you a girlfriend," Ur said over dinner that Thursday. Everyone just about choked on their food.

"Lyon couldn't get a girlfriend if he payed the girl!" Ultear exclaimed.

"I don't want a girlfriend," Lyon mumbled.

"didn't you say he was gay?" Wendy asked. She remembered her family talking about this before, and Gray said he was gay, whatever that was. She thought she should bring that up, but she wasn't too sure after everyone started laughing.

"Why do I bother coming over here?" Lucy asked no one in particular. Dinner was always a strange time of night. Wendy thinks she knows what she's talking about, Ultear insults her brothers, Gray and Lyon fight, and Ur only sometimes stops them.

"Lucy, did you hear about the new students?" Gray asked. "I guess they moved here a little while ago, but wanted wanted to adjust to the town first. I think they are starting tomorrow, actually."

"Do you think they're the same people that moved into those apartments down the streets from Lucy's?" Lyon asked.

"It sure is a possibility," Ur noted. She gathered up the dishes and took them to the kitchen. Wendy happily followed her. Lyon helped with the rest of the dishes.

"I think Chase is coming over on Saturday, so be good this time," Ultear said, following Gray and Lucy upstairs. "I don't want you guys drinking again."

"Don't tell me that," Gray said, looking at Lucy. "She's the troublemaker." The three parted ways.

"Are you a believer in drinking?" Lucy asked, getting comfortable on his bed. She remembered the night before a little bit, which was an improvement from the last time. She wasn't quite sure if she would keep drinking, though.

"I'm never going to be," Gray said, sitting at his desk.

"You really are no fun," she pouted. "You aren't going to drink when you turn twenty-one?" He shook his head. She rolled her eyes. Even Levy said she would try it.

"Come on, I'll drive you home." He stood up and grabbed his keys. "I don't need you getting me drunk again."

X

"Lucy isn't here!" Natsu whined, stretching his arms across the table. Lisanna looked to Gray.

"She was fine last night," he said. She seemed pretty excited about meeting the new students, so he didn't think she would skip. She must have been sick.

"Why was Lucy at your house?" Natsu asked.

"My whole family loves her. She comes over every night," he said. Lyon was right. Ultear did befriend all their girlfriends.

"It looks like we have new students!" Miss Molly said. She already had a new table added to the room for them. Everyone in the room turned to look.

The first boy was six foot tall. He had orange hair and brown eyes. He was wearing plain blue jeans and a yellow shirt. "My name's Kyo Kurosaki," he introduced himself. He walked back to his seat.

The second boy was the same height. He had black hair that reached his ears. His eyes were almost black. He wore blue gym shorts and a gray shirt. "My name's Rin Yamato." He took his seat beside Kyo.

The third boy was an inch shorter than his friends. He had thin, silver hair that brushed against his shoulder. His eyes were a light green. He was wearing darker blue jeans and a purple shirt. "Yuki Dawn," he simply said. He sat across from Rin.

Finally, a boy that stood at six-foot-two. His black bangs framed his face and tickled the corners of his mouth. The back of his hair naturally stuck out like feathers. His platinum eyes stood out like red on a white canvas. His black jeans had a chain hanging from them. His white button-up shirt had the first few buttons undone. A silver necklace with a heart laid against his chest. His sleeves were rolled up. "Ciel," he said with a wave. He walked back to his seat beside Yuki.

"Natsu?" Lisanna asked. He was staring at the four boys. Miss Molly was showing them basic painting techniques so they could paint something. When she walked away, Natsu got up.

He walked over to Ciel. The four boys just looked up at him. They were shocked when Natsu grabbed Ciel's necklace. He felt it between his fingers, looking at the swirling of red and white. "You still wear it," he said.

"Natsu?" Ciel asked. The other three boys looked at the pinkette in disbelief.

"It's been a long time, huh?" Kyo laughed.

"Three years," Yuki said. "It seems like longer."

"It seems like you've been taking care of yourself," Rin noted. Natsu smirked and lifted his shirt up, showing off his abs. Lisanna blushed from the other table.

"And you guys laughed when I told you I would have a six-pack at seventeen," Natsu said, dropping his shirt.

"It seemed impossible," Ciel said. Since Natsu always ate a lot, they never thought he could do it. It turns out they were wrong.

"Do you know them, Flame Brain?" Gray asked, walking over.

"Isn't it obvious?" Natsu retorted. "Guys, this is Ice Princess."

"I'm Lisanna," the white haired girl said, magically appearing beside Natsu. Kyo looked at her a second longer than his friends. Lisanna blushed and looked away.

The bell rang, ending first period.

* * *

**Who are these new students? In case you didn't catch on, Ciel has the same hair as Sasuke from Naruto, which I don't own.**

**Please Review!**


	18. Chapter 18 (3-24)

**GrayLuForever: I was going to PM message you, but you were a guest. I'm noticed you read this story, so I'll tell you in here. You asked about using the plot for Shut Out of the World, and I'm completely okay with it, as long as you give me credit. And if you could put a link of something in a review, I would love to read it!**

**A/N: Im totally dreaming out! One hundred reviews! Thank you all so much. I know I made a big deal of reviews before, but that was just a drop in the bucket compared to this! This is great :D I'm really happy with how this story turned out. **

* * *

Lucy coughed and rolled over. She had been stuck in bed all day. She woke up the night before with a fever, throwing up. Layla called off work to take care of her, which she was grateful for. After school, Laxus came in to check on her, but left her alone after that. Now, she could hear Layla yelling at Gray. Their fights were becoming more intense, since the competition was coming up.

When the noise stopped, she closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep. The ice pack in her forehead already melted, so her head was hot, and her pillow was wet.

The ice pack was replaced. She sighed in relief as her whole body chilled. "Are you feeling any better?" Gray asked, sitting on the bed beside her. Layla let him have a break, but only if he checked on Lucy.

"I am now," she said. She was mainly referring to the ice pack, but she was also glad he came to check on her.

"The new students came today," he said, brushing her hair out if her face. "They seem pretty cool. I think one if them likes Lisanna, though."

"That's good. Natsu is as clueless as a newborn," she giggled. She was starting to feel a lot better. She was glad that Gray was sitting with her. Believe it or not, she actually missed him. Maybe she was starting to like him a little...

"You're going to come over tomorrow, right?" he asked. "Chase is coming over. Ur said it would be nice for him to have a better impression of you."

"Did I meet him before?" Lucy asked. She felt like she knew him, all the more Ultear talks about him, but she was almost certain she hadn't met him in person.

"He came over the night we were drunk," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "So are you going to come?" He didn't know why he was asking. She would end up at his house anyways.

"Would you just pick me up sometime tomorrow?" she asked.

He chuckled softly. "I was just going to have you stay the night."

Lucy found herself blushing. She had spent the night as his house dozens of times before, but only this time did it bother her slightly.

"I better go back downstairs," he said, standing up. "We'll leave in a few hours."

X

"Ultear, can I sleep with you tonight?" Lucy asked. She nervously scratched her arm. She was in Gray's room, talking to him, but she said she had to use the bathroom. She used the time to ask Ultear.

"Uh, why?" she asked. She would be more than happy to, but she needed to make sure everything was okay first.

"No reason," Lucy blurted out. She didn't want to tell her that she thought she liked Gray, which made sleeping with him awkward.

"You can sleep in here," Ultear said. Lucy smiled and thanked her. She quickly left to go back to Gray's room.

After a few hours, it was time for everyone to go to bed. Lucy tried leaving for Ultear's room, but Gray stopped her. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"Ultear's room," she whispered. He walked over to the door and grabbed her hand, pulling her over to his bed.

"You didn't come over for a sleepover," he said, laying on the bed with her. "You're sleeping in here."

"B-but," she stuttered, blushing. She could feel his breath hitting her neck, making her blush more. She felt hot where he was holding her waist. She hadn't been in a relationship in a while, so she wasn't used to the feeling.

"Relax," he said. He noticed that she was unusually tense. He was wondering if something was wrong.

"O-okay," she stuttered.

"Night," he said, kissing her neck. She felt her skin grow hotter. He had to have been doing it on purpose.

"Gray," she said. She tried to free herself from his grasp. She knew she would do insane if she stayed a moment longer. It was hard to try not to like someone when that same person draws you closer to them.

He let go of her. She jumped off the bed and sat at his desk. He sat up and turned his lamp on. "Are you okay?" he asked. She looked up at him and blushed, seeing him without a shirt.

Why was it like she was seeing him for the first time?

"I'm fine," Lucy's voice cracked.

Gray got up and knelt in front of her. "You don't seem fine to me," he said. "What are you thinking about?" He could tell something was on her mind.

"I-I," she stuttered. She blushed again and stopped talking. She bit her lip and looked away.

"I can't help if you won't tell me what's wrong," he said.

"I think I like you," she whispered. She met his gaze, but regretted it. She couldn't seem to look away. Her face just grew more red.

His face stretched into a smile. He couldn't believe that she finally liked him. He knew he should just wait. He leaned over his chair and kissed her gently. It only lasted a few seconds, though.

"Can we go to sleep, now?" he asked. He may have been overjoyed, but he was still tired. He went over to the bed and laid down, waiting for her to follow. She slowly did so.

X

_"Passport," the airport attendant said. Lucy quickly handed it to her. The woman scanned it and looked at her skeptically. "You're thirteen," she said._

_"I am, ma'am," Lucy quickly said. The woman sighed before handed her the paperwork. She smiled. She was officiously a citizen of Italy, Rome to be specific._

_She happily walked outside, rolling her small suitcase behind her. She only packed the essentials, so she didn't bring much: two outfits, hairbrush, and anything she had on her, which would be her phone, passport, and credit card._

_She found it getting dark outside. She had been walking for a while, taking in the scenery. She panicked and started running, desperate to find a hotel. She was in the part of the city with just houses, so she wasn't sure how lucky she would get._

_It started to rain._

_She was instantly soaked. She tried not to cry as she ran faster. She tripped on a crack in the sidewalk. She didn't bother wiping the few tears from her eyes as she stood up and continued running._

_She found someone chasing after her. She tried to stop crying long enough to see where she was going, so she could get away. She ended up tripping again._

_The footsteps slowed down. Without looking behind her, Lucy crawled her way to an alley, trying to slow her breathing. She was hoping the person didn't see her hide._

_"You run really fast," someone said, panting. Lucy looked up and saw a boy standing over her. It was dark, so she couldn't see what he looked like._

_"Wh-what do y-you want from m-me," she stuttered, half because of the cold, half because of her fear. The boy smiled and sat across from her._

_"You aren't from here, are you?" he asked. She shook her head. "I thought so. I saw you trip, and I wanted to help you. You kept running, though."_

_"S-sorry," her voice cracked._

_A hand reached out and touched her face. Even though the rain provided a thousand touches, his felt different. It was warmer; kinder; more protecting._

_"You shouldn't cry," he said, smiling. "Tears ruin a pretty face. We wouldn't want that to happen to you."_

_A slight blush painted Lucy's cheeks. The boy stood up and extended his hand. "Let's go home," he said kindly._

_"What?" she blurted out._

_"I said let's go home." He grabbed her hand and pulled her up in one swift moment._

_And for once in a long time, Lucy felt wanted._

Lucy slowly opened her eyes. She didn't know why she had that dream. She could remember that day so clearly.

She sighed and sat up. She was in Gray's room, but he wasn't there. She reached over and turned the lamp on. She saw a note on the small table. She yawned and picked it up.

'I got called into work. Mom will take you home sometime.'

She crumpled the paper and threw it on the floor. She was glad he didn't interrupt her dream, but she would have liked him to drive her himself. He could have done just that if she would have woken up.

"Are you awake?" Ur asked, peeking into the room.

"Morning," Lucy said, stretching her arms above her head

"I have to run to the store to grab a few things. If you're ready, I can take you home now."

* * *

**A little flashback in there from when Lucy finally went to Rome. **

**So what did you all think?**

**Please Review!**


	19. Chapter 19 (3-26)

Lucy got the honor of spending her Saturday shopping. But before she did that, she was going to McDonald's to have Gray make her a strawberry smoothie.

"Welcome to Mc-" Gray stopped his greeting when he saw Lucy standing before him. "What's up?" he asked.

"I want a strawberry smoothie," she said. She smiled when he went to make it, realizing she was getting it free. She tapped her fingers on the counter as she waited.

"That will be $2.98," he said, handing her the drink.

"You made me have an awkward ride with Ur. I don't want to hear it," she said. She sat on the counter and swung her legs to the other side. "I never really cared for McDonald's milkshakes, but they taste different when you make them."

"I put extra stuff in when I make them for you," he said. He isn't suppose to do that, but his boss wouldn't find out.

"Does that mean you would make me a cheeseburger with actual meat?" she asked.

"Is that a hint?" he asked. She smiled and shrugged. He rolled his eyes and went to make her something. She was lucky he never ate there, or she would have to pay. He didnt understand how someone could see how the food is made and still not pack a lunch. She ate his drank his free food and drinks, so it was okay.

He came back and handed her a small bag that contained a small French fry and four piece chicken nugget. He wanted to give her something slightly edible.

"Thanks!" she said happily. She gave him a quick peck on the lips before opening the bag. "Honey?"

"Yes, Dear?" he asked. He started laughing. She was about to kick him, but he moved. He grabbed her a package of honey.

"Does anyone even come here? This place is always empty." She took a bite of her chicken nugget and looked around.

"It is at dinner time," he said. He leaned over the counter and watched his girlfriend. She was happily eating and looking at the ceiling, kicking her feet gently. When she picked up a fry, he grabbed it.

"Hey!" she said. He shrugged and put it in his mouth. She bit the other end if the fry, cutting his food intake in half.

"That's not fair," he said. She shrugged and put another fry in her mouth. He copied her and ate half of it. She shot him a glare. "You should have given me a full French fry."

"You guys are cute," someone laughed. Lucy looked over her shoulder and saw Loke. He was refilling the napkin dispenser.

"I didn't know you worked here," she said.

"Sweety, I was here before Gray," he said. He took one of Lucy's French fries.

"Can I eat my food?!" Lucy asked angrily. The two boys both reached for a nugget, leaving her with one. Gray even used her honey.

"Stop flirting and get back to work," their boss said, appearing behind Gray.

"Yes, ma'am," the two said in unison. Loke filled the straw cup. Gray grabbed a rag and hopped the counter. Lucy followed him around and watched him clean tables.

"Did you just leave your house to visit me?" Gray asked.

"Shit!" Lucy cursed. She forgot about shopping. "Mom wanted me to go to the store."

He looked at his phone. "It looks like I'm on my lunch break now. I'll go with you." He threw his rag at Loke, who happened to he walking by.

Lucy threw her empty milkshake cup away on her way out. Gray grabbed her hand and walked to the Walmart, which was a few stores down. It was smaller than most, since it didn't sell clothing.

Layla only needed a couple things, but they got a cart anyways. Lucy flipped the children seat up and sat in the main part. Gray pushed it.

"People are giving you weird looks," he said.

"I don't give a shit. This is fun," she said. She grabbed something from the shelf beside her.

"Just making sure," he said, laughing softly.

"That should be it," she said, checking the list one last time. They quickly paid for the items and started walking their separate ways.

X

"Are we all ready?" Layla asked. Gray and Lucy were standing in front of her. Their bags were beside them.

"Why did we have to leave so early?" Lucy asked, yawning. It was about six Sunday morning. She was a little upset that she was going to miss school, making her wait longer to meet the new students, but got over it.

"We want to get there early!" Layla exclaimed. "Now get in the truck!"

Lucy got comfortable in the backseat. She was in the middle, and Gray was beside her. He was going to sit up front, but he didn't want to leave her alone in the back. She yawned and closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, she was laying on a bed. She looked around and saw that she was in a hotel room. She remembered that they were going to the competition, so she assumed she was in their room. She noticed there was only one bed, though.

"You're awake," Gray said, stepping out of the bathroom. He shook his wet hair. "It's around two. We only got here an hour ago."

"Did you carry me up here?" she asked. He nodded and went over to his bag, looking for a shirt. "Where's Mom?"

"I think she's filling out paperwork in her room," he said. He pulled his shirt over his head.

"Her room?" Lucy asked. She remembered them all sharing a room before.

"She got a different room. I think it's on the next floor up," Gray explained. "The contestants get a different room than their masters. You technically aren't suppose to be here, so you get to room with me."

"Oh," she said. She almost wanted to punch Layla. She purposely put her in a room alone with him.

Sneaky.

"My first match is later tonight." He laid on the bed beside her. "I get to do whatever I want until then."

"That's nice. I'm going to go take a shower," she said. She went to stand up, but she was pulled back down.

"I want to lay with you," he said. He pulled her against him, burying his face in her neck. "Why don't you tell me how you like me?"

"I said it once," she said, blushing. She doesn't know why she bothers opening her mouth. Of course he would bring it up.

"I want you to say it again," he mumbled.

"I like you," she said. He smirked against her neck.

"You mispronounced love," he said. She felt her whole body heat up. "You're so cute."

"Can I go?" she asked quietly.

"Not unless you take me with you."

"Okay."

Gray blushed himself. He wasn't sure if he heard her correctly. He was sure he did when she stood up. He sat up and watched her walk to the bathroom. She stuck her tongue out and shut the door. He heard her lock it.

'She just tricked me,' he thought.

X

"Gray Fullbuster."

Lucy watched nervously as he stepped into the ring as the announcer called his name. She was watching from a screen in another room, along with the other contestants.

"Gray will win this," Sting said. "He's going to make it to the finals. I can't promise that I will let him win, though." Lucy laughed.

A buzzer went off. Gray stood calmly while his opponent, whose name was Josh, looked nervous. Gray put his hands up. The other boy nervously followed his actions. Gray threw a fake punch, making Josh think he was making the first move. He moved his hand back soon enough to see what the other was doing. Josh threw a kick. Gray dodged and kicked out his other leg. As Josh was falling, he put his arm to his throat, tackling him to the ground.

"Fullbuster!" the announced shouted. He held his hand up. Since the show was live, people across Fiore, except friends of Josh, cheered for him at once.

"You did that to Layla the first day I came to town," Lucy said when Gray entered the room. He ignored her comment and hugged her. He shot a glare at Sting. "When's your next match?"

"Everyone else has to have their first match, and the judges have to update the bracket, so maybe Monday or Tuesday," he said. He ended their hug, but held her hand. He may have been wanting to making a point to...

"Sting Eucliffe."

"That's me," the blonde male said. "I'll see you guys later." He high fived someone on the way out of the room.

"I already told Sting we were dating," Lucy said, pulling her hand away. "Let's go back to our room. I'm tired." She yawned and grabbed his hand, completely forgetting that she just took it away from him.

* * *

**Please Review!**


	20. Chapter 20 (3-29)

"I'm back," Lucy said, entering the small room. Gray was laying on the couch, watching TV.

"Come watch this movie with me," he said. She awkwardly scratched the back of her head.

"I'm going to go brush my teeth first," she said. She managed to walk a few steps before he blocked her path.

"Why do you need to?" he asked. He let her leave without question, so he didn't know what she was doing. He had an idea, though.

"I was kissing Sting?" she guessed. He didn't change his serious look. She sighed. "I ate some corn."

"Those are some cute stories, but what were you doing?" She didn't respond. He grabbed her chin. She jerked away and took a step back. He took one forward. She took another back. They repeated this until she hit the bed. He pinned her down on it, opening her mouth.

"Let me go," she said. When she spoke, he smelt her breathe. He got up, and they raced to her jacket. Gray won. He reached into the pockets and pulled out cigarettes and a lighter.

"Where did these come from?" he asked. He made sure she didn't bring any with her, so someone bought them for her, or she a stole them.

"A friend," she said. She wouldn't tell him it was Sting. He figured it out, though.

He practically ripped the door open. He ran to the lobby, Lucy following. By the time she reached him, he was already running back up the stairs.

He found the room he was looking for. He started pounding on the door. Lucy tried holding his arm back, but he wouldn't budge. The second the door opened, Gray grabbed Sting by the collar.

"How are you?" Sting asked with a smirk. Gray tightened his grip. The blonde looked to Lucy.

"I will shred you into pieces if you buy her this shit again," Gray hissed. He pushed Sting back and threw the items at him. He stormed back to his room.

"I swear I didn't tell him!" Lucy blurted out.

"It's okay," Sting laughed. "I know he is just looking out for you. Oh, and you might want to cool him down before his next match. I don't want to see limbs flying."

X

"Gray, you need to calm down," Lucy said. She was sure he would break the floor if he bounced his leg any harder.

"How many times have I told you not to smoke?" he asked angrily.

"A lot," she giggled. He glared at her. He didn't want her laughing about something like that. "You need to stop tapping your foot."

"It's keeping me from going back to Sting's to rip his face off," he snapped. She sighed and stood off the couch. She moved into his lap, facing him. "What are you doing?"

"You can't tap your leg when I'm sitting on it," she said proudly. The floor was now safe, thanks to her. "Now smile." She pushed the corners of his mouth up.

"I'll smile if you promise not to smoke again," he said, grabbing her wrists.

_"Lucy, do you see those kids over there?"_

_"Uh, yeah, why?"_

_"They're smoking."_

_"What's that matter? I guess it's illegal because they are under eighteen, but no one really cares."_

_"I had an uncle that died of lung cancer. It was before I was born, though. The sad thing was, because he always smoke around his wife, she got cancer too. You see, you aren't just killing yourself, but also the people around you."_

_"I never thought about it that way."_

_"Lucy, promise me you'll never smoke."_

Lucy's eyes widened.

"Why are you crying?" Gray asked, wiping a few tears from her face. She suddenly hugged him. 'What just happened?' he asked himself. She just started crying and then hugged him.

"I don't know what to do," she cried. "I promised I wouldn't, but I have to!" She relaxed a little when he hugged her back.

"Why do you have to?" he asked. He noticed that she stopped crying, but her breathing was still uneven.

"It makes me forget," she said with a shaky breath.

"Forget?" He couldn't believe that she was actually opening up to him. If he played his cards right, she would tell him everything he wanted to know.

Sadly, she just nodded. She didn't go into detail. He at least knew that she had something she wanted to forget.

"Isn't there anything else you could do? Maybe something that isn't harmful?" he asked. She suddenly pulled away from the hug and smashed her lips against his.

That explained why she said she didn't like him, but liked kissing him. Two pieces of the puzzle for together. The bad thing was, he wasn't even sure what the picture would like in the end. He had no clue if everything was one big puzzle, or a bunch of tiny ones.

"Okay," she said, resting her forehead on his. "I'll quit."

X

"You guys are such a big help," Levy said. Kyo, Rin, and Yuki were helping carry things to the music room for her.

"Why else would we be their friends?" Lisanna laughed. She was also suppose to be carrying things. It was unfair that Gildarts is making them take random boxes there, anyways.

"We're glad to help," Kyo said. He shifted the box in his hands. Levy smiled and reached for the doorknob. She stopped when she heard a piano. She pressed her forehead to the door to listen.

_Am I better off dead?_

_Am I better off a quitter?_

_They say I'm better off now_

_Than I ever was with her_

_As they take me to my local down the street_

_I'm smiling but I'm dying trying not to drag my feet_

_"Someone is singing," she said. The three boys dropped their boxes and pressed their ears to the door. Lisanna followed their action._

_They say a few drinks will help me to forget her_

_But after one too many I know that I'll never_

_Only they can't see where this is gonna end_

_They all think I'm crazy but to me it's perfect sense_

_._

_And my mates are all there trying to calm me down_

_'Cause I'm shouting your name all over town_

_I'm swearing if I go there now_

_I can change her mind, turn it all around_

_._

_And I know that I'm drunk but I'll say the words_

_And she'll listen this time even though they're slurred_

_So I, dialed her number and confessed to her_

_I'm still in love but all I heard_

_Was nothing_

_._

_So I stumble there, along the railings and the fences_

_I know if we're face to face then she'll come to her senses_

_Every drunk step I take leads me to her door_

_If she sees how much I'm hurting, she'll take me back for sure_

_._

_And my mates are all there trying to calm me down_

_'Cause I'm shouting your name all over town_

_I'm swearing if I go there now_

_I can change her mind, turn it all around_

_._

_And I know that I'm drunk but I'll say the words_

_And she'll listen this time even though they're slurred_

_So I, dialed her number and confessed to her_

_I'm still in love but all I heard_

_Was nothing_

_._

_She said nothing_

_Oh, I wanted words but all I heard was nothing_

_Oh, I got nothing_

_I got nothing_

_Oh, I wanted words but all I heard was nothing_

_._

_Ohh, sometimes love's intoxicating_

_Ohh, you're coming down, your hands are shaking_

_When you realize there's no one waiting_

_._

_Am I better off dead?_

_Am I better off a quitter?_

_They say I'm better off now_

_Than I ever was with her_

_._

_And my mates are all there trying to calm me down_

_'Cause I'm shouting your name all over town_

_I'm swearing if I go there now_

_I can change her mind, turn it all around_

_._

_And I know that I'm drunk but I'll say the words_

_And she'll listen this time even though they're slurred_

_So I, dialed her number and confessed to her_

_I'm still in love but all I heard_

_Was nothing_

_._

_She said nothing_

_Oh, I wanted words but all I heard was nothing_

_Oh, I got nothing_

_I got nothing_

_Oh, I wanted words but all I heard was nothing_

_Oh, I got nothing_

_._

_I got nothing_

**(I do not own Nothing by The Script.)**

As soon as the song ended, Lisanna pushed the door open and ran inside, Levy a step behind. The three boys sighed and picked up the boxes, taking them inside the room.

"Ciel?" the two girls asked at once. They knew that spikey hair.

"Huh?" Ciel turned around in his seat. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Dropping off boxes," Yuki said. They all stepped in front of him and crossed their arms.

"Why were you singing that song?" Rin asked. "That's an odd song to randomly sing."

"Uh, well, you know," Ciel said nervously, scratching the back of his head.

"Forget her!" Kyo blurted out. "She isn't coming back! She left!"

"We left her!" Ciel yelled, standing up. "She would never leave us!"

"Why wasn't she there when we came back?!" Yuki yelled.

Ciel's eyes widened. "Do you all think this?" he asked. They quickly nodded.

"What are you guys talking about?" Levy asked. The boys forgot they were even there.

"A girl we used to know," Ciel said. He clenched his fists and looked away.

"What happened?" Lisanna asked sweetly. She wondered how one girl could affect four people so much.

"She lived with me for two years," Ciel explained. "We were all great friends. We left her one day, and she wasn't there when we came back."

"He won't get over her," Rin said flatly.

"What was she like?" Lisanna asked.

"She was really smart, nice, and innocent," Yuki said.

"Was," Kyo laughed, nudging his shoulder into Ciel. He blushed and shot him a glare.

"Did you two date?" Levy asked.

"God, they were inseparable," Yuki said. He laughed, remembering all the times they refused to do something, just because they wouldn't be together.

"It wasn't like that," Ciel said, crossing his arms. "Lucy and I didn't always do things together."

Lisanna and Levy exchanged glances. "What was her name?" they asked at the same time. These guys were Italian, and the two years story matched.

"Lucy, uh, what was her last name?" Kyo asked, smiling at Ciel.

Ciel rolled his eyes. "Heartfilia," he said.

"Tell me you're joking!" Lisanna yelled. She started shaking the boy's shoulders. "Tell me that's a lie!" She almost started crying.

"Lis, calm down," Levy said, pulling her away. She knew it was upsetting, since she was just starting to return Gray's feelings. Everything would be ruined, since Lucy already loved Ciel, and probably still does. She was always talking about missing her friend from Rome. Lucy had changed since then, though.

"Wait, do you know her?" Rin asked with wide eyes.

"That empty seat at my table," Lisanna said.

"It's Lucy's," Levy finished.


	21. Chapter 21 (4-1)

**This story is really long XD. Don't hold me to it, but I think I can write about fifty chapters for this. I have a few little plot lines and a big one in mind. A few of you were wondering about the pairing. IT IS STILL GRALU! There is just a bunch of little CielxLucy scenes. And yes, something is going to happen. I believe its the next chapter. Oh! Speaking of which, I feel bad because I haven't been updating on my usual schedule. I've been forgetting, for some reason. So! I am going to post the next chapter today. I would suggest writing a review for this chapter, then reading the next. I just have a feeling you will all be very lively, so I would like to read them separate. **

* * *

"It's time for the finals!" the announcer roared. The final round took place in a large arena, with hundreds of people filling the stands. Lucy and Layla sat at special benches, which were close to where the fight would be.

"The first competitor!" he roared. "Last year's winner, Sting Eucliffe!" The audience went wild, cheering and screaming. "And our newbie, Gray Fullbuster!" The crowd was just as loud.

"Don't think about the people," Layla said. "Just pretend that you're in the dojo."

"I'm not worried about the people," Gray said. "I've fought him before, and I think I'll be okay."

"Good luck," Lucy said. She quickly hugged him. He let out a deep breath and walked out to the center of the arena.

"How about we fight for your girlfriend?" Sting asked playfully.

"Like I'd let scum like you touch her," Gray scoffed.

"But I already did," he smirked. He figured reminding Gray of the first time he met Lucy would get him angry.

"Fight!" A whistle was blown.

Sting made the first move. He went for a sweep kick, followed by a roundhouse. Gray quickly jumped up, then blocked. He started punching towards his face, Sting blocking every punch. While he was busy dodging, he didn't notice Gray's knee coming up, hitting him in the gut.

"That was a cheap shot," Sting said. He put his hands back up and continued the fight.

After thirty minutes, another whistle was blown. Sting wiped blood from his lip, and Gray from his eye.

"Ten minute break!" the announcer called. The two boys bowed and went their separate ways.

"Oh my god," Lucy said. She reached out to touch his eye, but pulled her hand back.

"It's okay," he said, grabbing her hand. He winced when Layla put a wet cloth to it.

"Stop the bleeding," she said. She then handed him a water bottle. He quickly drank it all. "If this continues, it may just come down to stamina. You both seem equally strong."

"He'll have me beat," Gray said.

"Try to focus on blocking. He may get cocky and let his guard down. Only take shots that you know will give damage," she said. He nodded and handed the cloth back to her.

"It's starting to swell," Lucy said.

"Than I'll fight with one eye," he said, smirking.

"ROUND TWO!"

"Keep your blocks tighter," Layla said. Gray nodded and went back to the arena. He smirked at Sting's swelled mouth.

"Fight!"

X

Sting swung at Gray. He easily dodged it. They were in the fifth round, and the blonde was clearly tired. Gray only hit him three times since the first round, but he got hit a lot.

"You asshole. I'll been doing all the work," Sting said. He tried to knee Gray.

Gray grabbed his knee with one hand and pushed it away from him. He quickly kicked his stomach. The blonde fell to the ground. He got on top of him and punched him in the face.

"KO!" the announced yelled. "Our new champion!" He grabbed Gray's hand held it in the air, standing the boy up in the process.

Layla and Lucy walked out. The latter just came to see if Gray was okay. She walked over to his side. He smiled down at her and wiped blood from his chin. He wasn't sure if the blood was from his eye, nose, or mouth.

The announcer started asking Layla questions about Gray and her dojo. She happily answered each one. She had to talk about Gray's progress over the years.

"Gray," Lucy said worriedly. She watched him fall back, but she caught him. He was pretty beat up, so it didn't surprise her.

"Now let's hear a few words from the losing side!"

Layla helped Lucy carry Gray back to his room. Since he passed out, they didn't think they needed to stay and listen to Sting's master.

"I need to go back, so will you take care of him?" Layla asked after putting Gray in his bed.

"What do I do?" Lucy asked.

"Just check him for injuries. Make sure anything isn't broken, treat his wounds, and put healing cream on his bruises. You know, the usual," Layla said. She left the room before her daughter could protest.

Lucy sighed and went to get the first aid kit. She wasn't entirely sure of what she was suppose to do. How was she suppose to know if something was broken?

She felt his nose. It seemed normal, so she assumed it was okay. She then started wiping blood off his face. She thought professional fights were suppose to be stopped if someone was bleeding, in case one of them had a disease. This wasn't professional, but the rules should still apply.

She blushed and started taking his shirt off. It was a little difficult, since his body was completely limp, but she managed. His whole torso had bruises on it. She carefully felt his ribs. Layla mentioned people breaking ribs before, so she wanted to make sure.

She grabbed a bandage and wrapped his hands. They were bleeding from punching too much. She couldn't imagine how much pain Sting was in, since he was punching more than Gray.

She found some cream that was suppose to heal bruises faster. She felt her face heat up as she started putting it on his arms. She tried to think of something else while she put it on his torso. She was beyond embarrassed.

"L-Lucy?"

She froze and looked up to Gray's face. He was blushing. He wasn't exactly sure what to think. He woke up to Lucy rubbing his chest.

"D-don't look at me like that," she said. She realized her hands were still on his stomach, so she quickly withdrew them.

Gray tried to sit up, but he groaned and fell back. He felt like his whole body was burning. His head was pounding, and his face hurt.

"Did I win?" he asked. He couldn't remember the end of the match.

"You knocked Sting out and won. You passed out while Mom was talking, though," she explained. "And I'm suppose to take care of you, so please don't make this awkward." She started rubbing the cream again.

"Of course I won't," he said with a smirk. "You'll stop if I do."

"You can just do it," she said. She turned away from him and crossed her arms.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. He grabbed her arms and pulled her into his lap. She blushed at the position. She sighed and continued what she was doing.

"You're amazing at making things awkward," she said.

"You think I'm amazing?" he asked.

"Watch it," she warned. "I have complete control of you right now."

"I see how it his," he laughed. She quickly got off him. She walked towards the bathroom, planning to wash the cream off her hands.

Gray got off the bed and went after Lucy. He grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. She watched as his face twisted in pain.

"Kya!" she squealed. She ended up on the floor with him on top of her. "You couldn't have fallen back?!"

"Sorry," he said.

"I got the trophy~!" Layla sang. She walked into the room and set the metal on the bed. She looked over to the two on the floor. "You two can celebrate later," she sighed.

Lucy blushed and pushed Gray off of her. His back slammed onto the floor. "I'm sorry!" she quickly said.

"Layla, I think something is wrong with my ankle," he said, sitting up. The two blondes were beside him in an instant.

"I'm surprised you didn't notice until now," Layla said. She grabbed his foot and gently touched his ankle. "I don't think it's broken, but something could be wrong with it. I'll call the doctor up."

"They have doctors here?" Lucy asked. She watched her mother walk over to the phone. It did make sense, since some fights got serious.

"Alright," Layla said. She hung up the phone. "He'll be up in a few minutes."

"Okay, now let me see my trophy."

They all laughed together.

* * *

**Please Review!**


	22. Chapter 22 (4-1)

**WARNING: EXTREME FEELS AHEAD! (possibly) **

* * *

Layla pulled into Gray's driveway. She blared the horn. His whole family came running out. Layla handed them the trophy. She got a one, too, so Gray could take his home.

"This is great!" Ur said, admiring the metal object. Her smile fell when she saw Gray get out of the truck. His foot was in a cast. His ankle wasn't broken, but he wasn't suppose to move or put pressure on it for a few days. Lucy handed him crutches.

"What happened?" Wendy asked. She had a few tears in her eyes. She ran over and hugged her brother.

"It's alright," Gray said.

"You're face," she cried. "It's all puffy."

"Marshmallows are cool, right?" he asked. She giggled and wiped her face.

"Anything happen?" Ultear asked, nudging Lucy. She was well aware that she shared a room alone with Gray.

"Gray made it very awkward," she sighed. Ultear laughed.

"Let's all go out for dinner to celebrate," Ur suggested.

X

"This is stupid," Lucy mumbled. She aggressively cleaned the window of the dojo. Since they got back from the competition on Saturday, her cleaning day was moved to Sunday.

"At least I'm here, right?" Gray asked. He moved a chair beside Lucy so he was a bit closer.

"You had to drive your brother's car," she said. Since his car was a standard, he couldn't use his left foot to shift, so he was stuck with a different car.

"Why don't you have a cigarette?" he asked. He pulled one from his pocket and waved it in the air.

"Asshole," she snapped. He bought those just to tease her.

Levy walked past the window. Lucy happily waved her inside. She threw the rag at Gray.

Ding!

"Lucy, I have a surprise for you!" Levy said excitedly. She waved towards the window.

Ding!

Four boys stepped inside. They all had their hoods up, so Lucy couldn't tell who they were. When they dropped the cloth, she gasped.

"C-C-Ciel?" she stuttered.

"In the flesh," he said. He looked her up and down. "You've grown." He looked back to her face and smiled.

"You guys!" she cried. She jumped into Ciel's arms. "I can't believe you are here!"

"We're the new students you've heard about," Kyo said. Lucy smiled happily and hugged Ciel tighter. Levy was happy that she could reunite old friends.

"I missed you so much," Ciel said.

"I missed you to!" Lucy cried.

Then the unimaginable happen.

Ciel pulled away from Lucy and kissed her. She didn't even fully register what was happening before she kissed him back.

Levy felt a pang in her chest. He loved her, so why wouldn't he kiss her? She never told him that she was dating Gray. But Lucy wasn't stopping him, either.

It finally clicked in Lucy's mind. She separated herself from Ciel. Instead of saying anything, she moved behind him and pulled the other three into a hug.

"Lucy?" Ciel asked. The blonde turned to face him. "You're clothes," he said. "You don't dress the same."

Levy felt a small victory. She knew that he would find her different. She wasn't sure if that would change anything, though.

"I needed a change," she said. "Ciel, you left me. You all did. I can't forgive you for that."

"What?" the four boys asked at once. She needed a change after they left her. They all felt awful.

"But I can move past it," she said. She smiled brightly at them. They all smiled and hugged her.

"L-Lucy," Gray said, finally finding his words. The all looked over to him. Lucy forgot that he was there, and everyone else didn't even know he was there to begin with.

"Whoa, is your ankle okay?" Rin asked. He heard that he went to a fighting competition, but he didn't think he would get seriously injured.

"It's fine," Gray said through grit teeth. "I have a question for you guys."

"What's up?" Kyo asked.

"Do you always kiss people's girlfriends?" he asked. He didn't even bother sounding nice about it.

"What?" Ciel hissed. He looked to Lucy. "You're dating Gray?" The guy was nice and all, but he didn't know if he could accept it.

"Is there a problem?" Gray asked, standing up. He didn't seem quite as threatening with crutches, but Ciel did get in his face.

"You bet there is," he hissed.

"How is cleaning going?" Layla asked, walking down the stairs. She noticed the tense air. She then saw Gray and Ciel. "What's going on?" she asked quickly.

"M-mom!" Lucy stuttered. Gray flinched and took a step back. Layla wouldn't be happy with him almost fighting with someone.

"Sorry, we were just leaving," Kyo quickly said. Yuki and Rin grabbed Ciel and took him outside. Kyo quickly followed.

"I should be leaving as well," Levy awkwardly said. She quickly left the room.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Lucy yelled.

"Him!" Gray yelled back.

"He did nothing wrong!"

"He kissed you!"

"He didn't know!"

"But you did! You didn't even stop him!"

"I haven't seen him in two years!"

"That doesn't mean you kiss him!"

"He kissed me! I didn't kiss him!"

"But you still kissed him back!"

"Was I suppose to slap him?! What did you want me to do?!"

"Tell him you have a boyfriend!"

"I would have been lying!" Her eyes widened for a moment. She clenched her fists and ran out into the streets.

* * *

**And a quick save from Kyo! **

**Did you feel the feels? Even rereading it, it hit me right in the heart. **

**So please review, and feel free to blow up in my face about that!**


	23. Chapter 23 (4-3)

"Gray still isn't home," Ur said. She let the kitchen curtains fall back into place. His car wasn't in the driveway.

"Where do you think he is?" Ultear asked. It was almost nine o'clock PM, and he still wasn't home.

Lyon came into the room. He set the house phone on the counter. "Layla said she couldn't find him either. I guess Lucy is still missing, too."

"What happened, anyways?" Ur asked. All she heard was that they both ran off.

"They got into a fight," Ultear said. "Lucy ran off and Gray followed after her. Layla said he ran out a few minutes after her, so he wouldn't have found her right away."

"They had a fight?" Ur asked.

"Layla said they were yelling about her kissing someone. She said a few guys were there, but they left pretty quickly," Lyon explained

"Wendy!" Ur yelled. The little girl came running into the room. "We're going to go search for them. Get Laxus to call their friends to help."

X

Gray walked as fast as he could. He wasn't even sure what time it was, since he left his phone in Lyon's car. He's been running around for a few hours, and he still couldn't find Lucy. He wasn't even sure what happened earlier.

He stopped to think. Last time she ran off, she hid somewhere to drink. If she was going to do that, where would she go? She would surely go to an abandoned area so she didn't get caught.

He knew just the place.

X

Lucy took another drink from her bottle and sighed. She just couldn't stop thinking about the fight. Usually when she got drunk, she forgot everything. The three empty bottles beside her proved that her theory was wrong. She still had two more, plus the one she was drinking, so she had hope.

"Damn," she mumbled. She threw the fourth bottle to the ground. She looked out to the ocean. She discovered this cliff a few weeks before. Everyone knew about it, but it didn't seem like anyone went there.

She opened the next bottle and started drinking it. She wished she knew what time it was. She already threw her phone over the cliff, so she had no clue. It wasn't the smartest idea, but neither was drinking. She knew it didn't break or hit the water, though, because she would hear if ring every few minutes. Or maybe every hour. She lost track of time two bottles ago.

X

"Where could they be?" Gajeel asked.

"It's all my fault," Levy said. She started crying again. "If I didn't take them."

"Hey, don't cry," Gajeel said. He pulled her into a hug. She squeaked in surprise. "You're smart, where would they be?"

X

"Gray! Lucy!" Wendy cried.

"Shh, don't cry," Ultear said, picking the girl up. She started rocking her. "We'll find them."

"How do you know?" Wendy tried to stop her tears, but her plan wasn't working that well.

"I just do."

X

Lucy yelled out in frustration. She was out of alcohol, and she was still thinking straight. She stood up and grabbed one of the bottles.

"Stupid Gray!" she screamed, throwing it over the edge. She picked up another. She threw it harder. She threw the others, but left one. She clenched the neck of the bottle. She threw it so hard she fell backwards.

It started to rain. It didn't sprinkle; it poured.

"Lucy!"

She screamed. She didn't want to hear his voice. As gripped her hair tightly, as if debating whether or not to pull it out. She let out another scream. Maybe if she screamed enough, he would disappear.

"Lucy," he said. He was closer. She looked up and saw him standing behind her. She snapped her eyes shut and looked away.

"Go away," she said.

"Come here," he said gently. He lifted her up and hugged her.

"Stop it," she said. She found herself hugging him back, anyways.

"I love you, Lucy. Please don't leave me," he said. She felt her face heat up. He's never told her he loved her before.

She felt her stomach turn. She pushed him away as hard as she could. She broke free from his grasp. She quickly ran over to the bushes. Not a moment after, she started throwing up.

"And she says I make things awkward?" he laughed.

X

"Gray!" Ultear gasped. Everyone turned to look. Gray came walking up to them, Lucy on his back. They didn't understand how he managed that, since he was using his crutches.

Everyone regrouped to try to figure out where they could have been, and tell each other where they have looked. They didn't expect to have Gray find them.

"Why is Lucy sleeping?" Layla asked. Everyone else exchanged glances. They all could guess that she was drinking. Layla still didn't know that she drank, though.

"Lucy should spend the night at my house," Ur quickly said. "It would be good for them to talk it out some more."

"I guess I can yell at her during gym tomorrow," Layla sighed. She let a smile creep to her face. She was glad that Lucy was found. She ran away before, but this time was just as terrifying.

"It's getting late. Let's all get home," Ultear said. She led Layla back to her car. She was starting to smell alcohol, so she figured Layla would if she stayed a second longer.

"You better not scare us like that again," Erza said. "You better pick up your phone next time I call!" She shot Gray a death glare.

"And my car is at Layla's," Lyon sighed. "I better start walking."

"Gray, let's go home," Ur said. She pulled Lucy from Gray's back and put her on Ultear's. "We've had a crazy night."

X

Lucy woke up to a dark room. Surprisingly, her head didn't hurt. She wondered if she just dreamed of drinking more than her weight in alcohol.

"Gray?" she asked. She gently nudged him. He mumbled something. She pushed his back harder. She found it odd that he wasn't facing her.

"Hmm?" he asked, rolling over. He rubbed his eyes to wake himself up. "What's wrong?"

"I'm awake," she said.

"I can see that," he laughed. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. He put his face in her neck and tried to go back to sleep.

"Gray," Lucy whined. She was wide awake and didn't want to be alone. He was still there, but it wouldn't count unless he was awake.

"Okay, I'm up," he said sleepily. He yawned and closed his eyes. He instantly fell back asleep.

"You are not awake," she said. She reached over and turned his lamp on. She waited for the light to wake him up. She ended up looking out the window. Snow was blowing around rapidly. It rained earlier, so if was probably icy outside.

"Turn the light off," he mumbled.

"It's snowing!" she said excitedly. He didn't seem interested. She never woke him up in the middle of the night before, so she didn't know he would be so difficult.

"Why do you hate sleep?" he asked. He rolled on top of her and reached for the lamp. She quickly grabbed his hand.

"I'm not tired," she pouted. "You need to stay awake with me."

"You realize it's three in the morning, right?" he asked. He let out another yawn.

"Don't fall asleep," she said, poking his cheek.

"Hmm, stop that," he mumbled. She could tell he was about to fall asleep. She turned the lamp off and rolled him off of her.

"I'm just going to go to Ciel's," she said. She silently got off the bed.

"What?" Gray asked worriedly. He felt the bed beside him. "Lucy!" he whined. He really thought she left. He turned the lamp on.

"You're awake!" Lucy said happily, jumping on him.

"That was a mean trick," he tsked. He grabbed her hips so she didn't move off of him.

"It was a clever plan," she corrected him. She kissed him quickly on the lips before laying her head on his chest. "Love you," she murmured before falling asleep.

Gray smiled. 'Love you' wasn't as serious as 'I love you', but she still said she loved him.


	24. Chapter 24 (4-8)

**SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE! I was going to update last night, but for some reason I couldn't. I managed to update _Coming Down,_ but I couldn't update my other stories. **

* * *

"I'm happy that you aren't holding a grudge," Lisanna giggled. Gray ignored her and continued tapping his fingers on the table. Lucy had pulled a chair up to Ciel's table, and they were talking and laughing. He really hated art, at the moment. The bad thing was, he could hear every word they were saying.

"What about the time Kyo ran around the block in his underwear?" Lucy laughed. Lisanna couldn't help but let out a small one of her own. Gray was still unamused. He didnt like hearing all the fun times she had with them.

"Do you remember when Lucy first met us, and she was dared to be locked in the closet with Yuki for twenty minutes?" Ciel asked, barely able to contain his laughter. Gray was starting to hate the conversation less with every word they spoke.

"And they played chess," Rin laughed.

"What else were we suppose to do?" Yuki asked. He thought a moment. "On second thought, don't answer that."

"I remember when Natsu first met Lucy," Kyo said. Lisanna, Gray, and Lucy stared at him, wondering what he was talking about.

"How would you know when I first met him?" Lucy asked. The last time she checked, the four boys just moved to Magnolia. They weren't there her first day of school.

"What are they talking about?" Lisanna asked Natsu. She was feeling slightly jealous.

"Do you remember the summer I went to Rome?" he asked. She nodded. "Lucy came a month after I did. I was only there two months after that, though."

"That was you?" Lucy asked. Natsu smiled and nodded.

"Anyways," Rin said. Gray realized that Natsu and Lisanna pulled a chair up to the other table, wanting to hear the story. "She thought his pink, sorry, samon, hair was the coolest thing ever. She would always look at it, never having the balls to ask if it was natural. He was so embarrassed he shaved his head almost completely!"

"I thought you had shorter hair!" Lisanna laughed. Levy and Loke laughed too. Wait, when did they join the conversation?

"Lucy, do you remember the necklace you made Ciel?" Natsu asked. She thought a moment, then nodded. For art class, everyone had to make jewelry. She made a heart necklace for Ciel. If he took that class, he probably would have made her one.

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot," Ciel said. He pulled the necklace from under his shirt. Lucy's eyes sparkled as she picked up the heart. She didn't think he would keep it, let alone wear it every day.

"It's so pretty," Levy said in awe. She wondered if Gajeel would wear a necklace that she gave him. She blushed at the thought

"Isn't wearing jewelry a bit gay?" Loke asked.

"Says the guy in the blue sunglasses," Lisanna said under her breath. Levy was the only person that heard her, and let out a small giggle.

"Doesn't Gray wear a necklace?" Natsu asked.

"What do I wear?" Gray asked, turning around in his seat. He silently cursed himself for getting involved in their conversation.

"A necklace," Yuki said. Now that he was looking for it, he did see a chain around his neck.

Gray pulled the necklace from his shirt, revealing a cross with a blue gem in the center. Lucy was surprised, since she never noticed it. He must have worn it every day, since Natsu remembered it.

"Since when do you wear that?" Levy asked. She was suppose to be the smart one, and she didn't even notice.

"I've been wearing it for six years now," he said sadly. He rubbed the metal between his fingers.

"Six years?" Rin asked. "That seems like a really long time."

"It was his dad's," Natsu tried whispering, but ended up saying it at normal volume. It was whispering for him, but everyone could still hear it.

"Your dad?" Lucy asked. She just realized that she never met him. His parents could have gotten a divorce, but it didn't seem likely. After six years, Ur would have started dating, knowing her.

"Look at that," Lisanna said. "I'm out of paint." She grabbed Lucy's hand and took her to the other side of the room, where the paint is kept.

"Lisanna, we weren't even painting," Lucy said. They were going to start another unit the next day, so they got a free day.

"Lucy, don't talk about Gray's dad," she said with a serious tone.

"Why? What happened?" Lucy pried.

"He died six years ago, when we were eleven," Lisanna said. "I guess he was depressed for a few years, then ended up getting drunk and taking pills. They all came home and found him dead on their living room floor."

Lucy's eyes widened. 'That's why he doesn't want me drinking,' she thought. She thought he was just trying to follow the law. She felt bad for disobeying him about that.

"Anyways, he secluded himself for almost a year after that. He wouldn't talk to us, and his grades dropped a lot. He almost failed."

"What changed that?"

"Your mom."

Lucy was shocked.

"After a year of moping around, Ur begged Miss Star to teach Gray martial arts. She managed to cheer him up. She's pretty amazing."

Lucy scoffed and went back to her seat.

X

"Why are you so mad?" Lucy asked. She was laying on the couch with Gray, and she could tell he was angry.

"I'm not," he said, faking a smile. He technically wasn't mad, since he was beyond angry. He had to watch his girlfriend drool over her ex-boyfriend all day. It also didnt help that just a few weeks before, she told Ultear that she loved someone. She didnt mean him, so that only left Ciel. He was starting to regret trying to put the puzzle together.

"You're frowning," she pointed out. She pressed her thumb to the corner of his mouth. He grabbed her hand and kissed it. He then pulled her to his chest and rested his head on her's.

"Nothing's wrong, okay?" he asked. He knew she didn't believe him by her silence. She already knew why he was mad, but she wanted him to tell her.

"We're back!" Ultear yelled, entering the house.

"Where was she?" Lucy asked. She didnt even realize that the older woman left.

"She went out with Chase, then they stopped to get his brother. They are both staying for dinner," Gray explained

"Oh, there you are," Ultear said. "Stop cuddling and come meet Chase and his brother."

Gray sighed and sat up. He already met Chase, and he didnt care about meeting someone new. He was having enough issues with the new students in his class.

"Let's go," Lucy giggled. She grabbed his hands and skipped to the kitchen. She turned around and put his arms around her waist. She leaned into him as he put his cheek against her neck.

"I wanna hug too!" Wendy whined. She ran up and hugged her brother from behind. She hadn't spent much time with him since he met Lucy, so she was planning on changing that.

"What if I don't want to hug you?" he asked playfully. He picked her up upside down, swinging her slowly. She giggled and tried to push her skirt back up.

"Gray, put her down," Ultear sighed. Gray carefully did so.

"She always ruins our fun, huh?" he asked. Wendy giggled again.

"You're making me sound like the bad guy," Ultear mumbled. "Anyways, come to the dining room. Everyone else is sitting down." She grabbed Lucy and Gray's hands. Wendy already latched herself to his leg, so she didn't have to worry about her following.

"This is Gray and Lucy," Ultear introduced when they entered the room. She removed Wendy from Gray and walked over to the table.

"Wh-what?!" Gray gasped. "Ciel?!" Ciel had a smug look on his face. He looked to Lucy and smiled.

"Do you already know each other?" Ur asked. She pretended not to notice the tension between the two. She assumed they knew each other from school. Gray mumbled a 'sadly' before sitting at the table.

"Sorry about that," Chase said, entering the room. He was putting his phone back into his pocket. "Just some business, nothing to worry about." He looked over and saw a blonde girl. He couldn't see her face, but he assumed it was the same girl from before. He hadn't seen her face at all, though.

"Hmm?" Lucy asked, turning around. The voice sounded familiar. Her eyes widened, along with Chase's. "Chase!" she yelled. She jumped up into his arms, hugging him happily. She didn't realize that Ultear's Chase was also her Chase.

"Lucy," he said breathlessly. "I didn't know you lived in Magnolia." He glared at Ciel, who awkwardly looked away, trying not to meet his brother's gaze. Ciel should have told him about Lucy, but he didn't.

"So you know Chase?" Ultear asked. It seemed like they knew each other pretty well. She would be lying if she said she wasn't a little jealous. She wasn't quite sure of their relationship, so she tried not to let it bother her too much.

"Of course," Chase said, setting Lucy back on the ground. He was much taller than her, so she was dangling in the air. "I mean, she lived with me for two years."

"Lucy is the sister you lost?" Ultear asked.

'It was all so confusing,' she thought. 'Lucy once lived with Ciel and his family. She started wandering around, and eventually moved to Magnolia with her mother. Gray was a student of her mother, so the two teenagers met. Through Gray, Lucy met me. A few months later, Chase moves to Magnolia. Ciel comes with him. Chase meets me. Lucy reunites with the two through me.'

Her eyes widened.

_It was like fate meant for it to happen._

* * *

**Please Review!**


	25. Chapter 25 (4-11)

"This is awesome," Ciel said in awe. He was watching Layla's class of older teenagers with Lucy. He loved how everyone kicked at the same time and were completely in sinc.

"I'm glad you like it," she said sleepily. She let out a yawn. She was tired and bored; a deadly combination.

"You stay up too late," he sighed. He moved her so her head was on his lap. Her legs were stretched across a few chairs.

"Get into your sparring groups!" Layla yelled. She always picked their groups on size and rank. Otherwise, friends would try to go together, and not all of them were the same skill level. "I want you all to take turns punching and blocking. If you're punching, don't hit too hard. We're just working on technique here. Gray, walk around and make sure they're doing it right."

"Yes ma'am!" all the students said. They all starting throwing punches at each other. Gray went from group to group to watch them.

"Whoa," Ciel said. Lucy giggled. She loved how easy it was to amaze him.

Ding!

Layla, Gray, Ciel, and Lucy looked up to see who entered the dojo. Gray rolled his eyes, Layla put on a fake smile, Ciel had no clue who it was, and Lucy smiled for real.

"Sting!" she said happily. She ran over to him and jumped into his arms.

"Hey, Lucy," he said, catching her.

"Master John," Layla said with a scowl. She walked over to the man.

"Master Layla," he said back.

"Do you need something?" Gray asked. He glared at Sting, who was still holding Lucy.

"We just stopped to visit Fiore's favorite dojo," John smirked. He actually didn't want anything. They were just passing through town and decided to stop by.

"Well I have some matters to discuss in my office, if you will follow me," Layla said. John nodded and followed her.

"Did she fall asleep?" Sting asked. He noticed that Lucy's head was on his shoulder, and her body seemed too relaxed.

"Huh?" she asked sleepily, lifting her head up. Sting rolled his eyes and set her down. She yawned and hugged Gray around the waist, since he was the closest.

"Why don't you go to bed?" Gray asked, putting his arms around her. She shook her head and buried her face in his chest.

"I see she still gets randomly tired," Ciel sighed. He could remember, on many occasions, carrying her home because she fell asleep somewhere, like the park or movies.

Sting looked over to Ciel, not realizing he was even there. His eyes widened. "Are you seriously sitting there?" he asked.

"Obviously," Gray snapped.

"Is that seriously Ciel, though," Sting corrected himself.

"The one and only," Ciel smirked. "You're the first person to recognize me, actually."

"What do you mean?" Gray asked. He didn't understand who Ciel was suppose to be. He thought he was just a kid that moved from Italy. He did know that everyone fawned over him for his looks, though.

"Ciel Willow," Lucy mumbled. "He's the lead singer of Black Willow." Her voice was muffled by his shirt, but he heard her perfectly.

"Really?" he asked. He only saw them a few times before on the Internet, so he wouldn't be able to know him if he saw him on the streets.

"Yeah, he's one of those druggies," she laughed.

"Lucy is a friend from home," Ciel explained to Sting. The day he left ran through his mind, along with Lucy's.

_"Don't be so nervous," Lucy said, tugging on Ciel's shirt sleeve._

_"I've never sung in front of this many people before," Ciel said, looking to the crowd of people in front of the stage. They were backstage, so he had a pretty good view._

_"This is just a little festival for Halloween. It's not something you should get worked up about," Lucy reasoned. After singing the lead for the school play, he was practically begged to sing at the festival._

_"The whole town is here!" No one showed up for the play except for the parents, so it wasn't as big of deal!"_

_"You've practiced this thousands of times. What is there to worry about?"_

_"My voice could crack, forget the lyrics, play the wrong keys on the piano-"_

_"Ciel!" Lucy laughed. "Rin, Yuki, and Kyo aren't nervous, so why should you be?"_

_"Kyo is doing a drum solo. He he isn't even playing music. He said he's going to randomly hit the drums. People will be impressed and think its an actual song. Rin is playing the bass, and Yuki is playing the guitar. They do have to worry about playing together, but anything will sound cool, so they can't mess up."_

_"You are singing and that's final," she said._

_"Why don't we go back to the house instead?" he asked, loosely grabbing her waist. "Everyone is at the festival, so we'll be by ourselves," he said into her ear._

_"Nice try," she said, pushing him away._

_"What about after I sing?" Ciel asked._

_Lucy pursed her lips. "Fine," she sighed. He smiled and grabbed her, kissing her quickly. "Okay, go get ready," she laughed, pushing his face. He set her down and ran off._

_"Was that your boyfriend?" a woman asked, walking up to Lucy._

_"Huh?" the blonde asked, turning around. "Yeah, it was."_

_"Is he going to preform?" the woman asked._

_"He's singing and playing the piano, why?"_

_"I should introduce myself. I'm May Collins. I'm a producer at Beat Studios," May said. Lucy's eyes widened. "I've been traveling around, seeking talent. Anyone I should be interested in?"_

_"Yes!" Lucy gasped. "Ciel will be singing, Kyo will be playing drums, Rin will be on bass, and Yuki will be playing he guitar. They're all friends and very talented. Ciel can play every string instrument, percussion, and the piano."_

_"Maybe I can sign them a contract," May thought allowed. "If they are as good as you say, they could be a very popular band. Are they all as attractive a Ciel?"_

_"Did you just put attractive and Ciel in the same sentence?" Kyo laughed, resting his elbow on Lucy's shoulders._

_"And you might be?" May asked._

_"I'm Kyo. This is Rin and Yuki." He pointed to his two friends behind him._

_"May Collins, Beat Studios," May said, shaking his hand. "I just might sign you all a contact. Lucy has talked you up quite a lot."_

_"Okay everyone!" someone yelled from the stage. "Ciel Willow!"_

_..._

_"So, what did she say?" Lucy asked eagerly. Ciel just came home from the festival._

_"Lucy," he sighed. He ran up to her and gave her a bone crushing hug. "I'm sorry," he said._

_"Wh-what are you talking about?" Lucy asked nervously._

_"We have to move," he said._

_"Then lets move," she said quickly._

_"We can't take you with us. Just promise me one thing," he said._

_"Anything," she breathe out._

_"Be here when I come home."_

X

"So what are you getting Lucy?" Mira asked Gray. They were all sitting at lunch, aside from Laxus and Lucy. They were both helping Layla with something.

"For what?" he asked.

"Christmas!" all the girls yelled at once.

"That's weeks away," he said.

"Gray, it is in two days. Today is the last day of school before break," Jellal said slowly.

"Oh," Gray said.

"What did you always get her?" Lisanna asked Ciel. She asked so Gray would get an idea. He would obviously want to get her something better.

"He didn't technically give her anything," Kyo said. Ciel glared at him.

"What did you do then?" Natsu asked.

"They-" Kyo was interrupted by Ciel's hand. Yuki tried talking, but he got the same treatment.

"They just fucked each other," Rin said bluntly. Ciel kicked him under the table.

"Are you serious?" Levy asked, blinking a few times. They were fourteen and fifteen during the two years, which seemed pretty young to her.

"Of course we are," Yuki said. He got kicked as well.

Gray was beyond pissed. He wasn't sure why, though. They were in a relationship, and that happened, but they were young. He also assumed that during Christmas wasn't their first time. Since she moved there around July, they would have only known each other a couple months.

"Gray, the bell rang," Loke said, shaking his friend's shoulder.

"R-right."

* * *

**I just used a random name for Sting's master. I didn't feel like typing out a dragon name. I'm sorry that I went all Twilight on you guys at the end of the flashback. I SWEAR I DIDN'T MEAN TO!**

******I'm not quite sure how beta reading works. I understand what it is, though. I've never seen a function to share the story with someone to have it beta read. I actually made a beta reading profile, but I don't know what to do from there. If someone could help me out, that'd be awesome. I always thought it would be cool to beta read stories, so I want to try it out!**

******Please Review!**


	26. Chapter 26 (4-13)

**You guys are going to be happy readers! I have HUGE plans for this story!**

* * *

"You work the weirdest shifts," Lucy said, taking a drink of her milkshake.

"That's because I work part-time," Gray said. He leaned against the counter, unconsciously sighing. He was pretty bummed about lunch that day.

"Mom said she is having a Christmas party tomorrow," she said, oblivious to her boyfriend's mood. "You're obviously invited."

"Who else is going?" he asked. He was going to go anyways, but he figured he would ask.

"Uh," she thought. "You're family, Chase, a few people I don't know, and our friends from school."

"Does that mean Ciel will be there?" he all but hissed.

"Why do you have a problem with him?" Lucy asked. "I understand that he kissed me, but it's not like it happened again. If you're jealous or some shit, don't be."

"How can I not be? You guys dated for two years. You even lived together," he said.

"But I'm not dating him anymore. I'm dating you," she said, jumping off the counter. "I don't cheat on people, so there's nothing to worry about, okay?" She hugged him around the waist and put her face against his chest.

"You wouldn't leave me for him?" he asked, putting his chin on her head, hugging her back. He hated how insecure he was being, but he really did think she would.

"Of course I wouldn't," she said.

"Do you still love him?" he whispered, remember what Ultear said.

"I thought I did," she confessed. "But seeing him again, I realized I just missed him like a sister would her brother."

"That's a relief," he sighed. He picked her chin up and kissed her. She happily kissed him back.

"Excuse me."

Gray pushed Lucy away and saw a customer. She did not look happy.

"Uh, how can I help you?" he asked nervously.

X

"Mom, you are putting way too much thought into this," Lucy sighed.

The dojo had streamers hanging from the ceiling, covering every inch. The room was lined with tables, covered with food and drinks. She put up wrapping paper along the walls. Christmas music played in the background. To top it off, she was wearing a Santa suit.

"Just put your elf costume on," Layla said. "Laxus is wearing his." Yes, Laxus was wearing an elf suit. He had the pointy ears and everything.

"Hell no," Lucy said, trying not to laugh at her brother.

"What about a reindeer?" Layla asked. She held up another costume. Lucy thought a moment. She got an idea. She grabbed the costume and ran upstairs.

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

One by one, everyone arrived. They all admired Layla's work. She was glad that someone appreciated her efforts.

Lucy came downstairs just as Gray and his family arrived. All the guys in the room gaped at her. She was wearing tight brown yoga pants. Brown socks were on her feet. Her shirt was a super tight tube that covered her breasts. A little bell ring was in her belly button. She wore brown gloves that left the fingers free. Her hair was down and flowing. Her nose had red lipstick on it, and antlers were on her head.

"Lucy!" Layla gasped. "That isn't the costume!"

Lucy shrugged. "I wasn't going to wear your stupid outfit. I just decided to make it my own." She smiled at her mother before walking over to her friends.

"You look cute," Levy said.

"Thanks!" Lucy said. She was proud of her outfit. Layla wanted a reindeer, and she got one. "What do you think, Gray?" She saw how uncomfortable he looked, so she had to ask. Their friends were wondering what he would say as well.

Gray awkwardly coughed. "You look okay," he quickly said. He scratched the back of his head, looking away.

"Just okay?" Mira asked. She was enjoying Gray's face almost as much as Lucy. "I think you can do better than that."

He took his hoodie off and put it on her, zipping it up. Lucy couldn't help but laugh. She couldn't wait until summer when he could see her in a swimsuit. His reaction would be priceless.

"Awe, where's your Christmas spirit?" Loke teased. Jellal and Natsu laughed.

"Up your ass," Gray said seriously. Everyone stopped laughing and gaped at him.

"Gray swore?" Lisanna asked, making sure it wasn't just her imagination.

"Lucy's rubbing off on you," Natsu said. He started laughing the next second. Everyone else laughed, including Gray and Lucy.

The music stopped. Layla ran over to switch CDs.

Ding!

With the music stopped, everyone in the room heard the for open. A girl came bouncing in. She had curly blue hair that reached her hips. She was wearing super tight skinny jeans and an oversized sweater. Her black heals clicked along the floor as she walked.

"Master Layla~!" she sang.

The blonde woman looked up. She smiled brightly. She ran over and hugged the girl. "Juvia! Im glad you're back!"

"Thank you," Juvia said, letting go of Layla. "We managed to clear all of Japan's shorelines, so I would say we did our job." She turned to where her friends were standing and smiled. She started walking to them.

Lucy felt a little jealous. This girl was beyond beautiful. She was talking about cleaning shorelines, so she must be doing intelligent work. And since she called Layla 'Master', she must be a student. Brains, beauty, and bronze. Literally. She could see the muscles in her legs through her jeans. They weren't bulky, though.

"Juvia," Lisanna, Levy, Mira, and Erza said at once. They pulled the bluenette into a hug. She smiled and hugged them back.

"I missed you all so much," she said. She squeezed them one last time before letting go. "I have so many beautiful pictures to show you. I got to help all sorts of marine animals, and I got pictures of them all. I actually got to name a few, and of course I used your names."

"I bet Natsu was the best!" the pinkette bellowed. Juvia rolled her eyes and hugged him. She hugged each boy, but she stopped at Gray. They looked at each other as if they were paralyzed. He coughed awkwardly and held his hand out. She shook it and quickly moved away. The scene didnt go unnoticed by Lucy.

"What was that?" she asked Gray. He pretended not to hear her, which made her a little angry.

"Juvia, this is Lucy," Erza said. She pulled the blonde closer. "She is actually Layla's daughter."

"I'm Juvia. It's a pleasure to meet you," Juvia said, extending her hand. Lucy smiled and shook it.

"Hey, why don't you come hang with us?" Ciel asked, draping his arms over Lucy's shoulders. "We're all lonely."

"What about Chase?" Lucy asked, tilting her head back.

"He's with Ultear and Wendy, I think," Ciel said.

"Why don't you go over here?" she proposed.

"Come on, Luce," he whined. "We miss hanging out, just the five of us."

"You realize we're at a party, right? It wouldn't be just the five of us," she pointed out.

"I didnt want to go this," he sighed. He picked her up like a baby and carried her away.

Gray couldn't help but get mad.

Juvia couldn't help but think that they were the cutest couple ever.

X

"I'm spending the night at your house, right?" Lucy asked. The party was over, and Gray was about to leave.

"Lucy, this is the first Christmas with your mom since you were little. You should stay here," he said.

"But I want to go to your house," she whined. "It will be more fun."

Gray wanted to slap himself for taking that statement pervertedly. "If Layla says its okay," he sighed. "It's really her call."

"Yay!" Lucy happily ran off to find her mother.

"You're so whipped," Lyon laughed. "You said no, but still let her. You know Layla will say yes, just to make her happy."

"Yeah, yeah," Gray said, waving him off. He watched Lucy come running back over to him.

"She said I could!" she said happily. She felt like a kid who just got ice cream.

Lyon raised his eyebrows at Gray, who just pushed him towards the door. The older just laughed and went outside. His point was totally proven.

"You are going to change, right?" Gray asked. Lucy usually wore whatever she came to his house in to bed, and he didn't like the idea of her wearing her reindeer outfit.

"I'll wear something else to bed, okay?" she laughed. She grabbed his hand and led him outside.

X

Gray sighed and jumped into bed. It was about one in the morning. He had to say awake and guard Wendy's door to make sure she fell asleep. Every year she tried to sneak out of her room and steal a present. He was the only one that could catch her, so he always had to guard.

Lucy came into his room a minute after him. She stayed up with him, and waited to change. What Gray didn't expect, though, was for her to change into one if his shirts. She wasn't wearing any pants, either. It was just her underwear and his shirt.

She rubbed her eyes and yawned. She stumbled over to his bed, barely awake enough to walk. She lazily fell into the bed. Her one leg was around Gray's waist, and her arms fell at his chest.

That night, he learned that he could not sleep with Lucy half naked, sprawled over him.

* * *

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	27. Chapter 27 (4-15)

Gray and Lucy woke up to Wendy bouncing on the bed, shouting, "It's Christmas! Wake up! It's Christmas," repeatedly. They couldn't believe that doing that was so annoying, as their parents told them, but now they understood.

Lucy rolled over and looked at Gray's alarm clock. Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "It's four in the morning!" she yelled. She grabbed Wendy and threw her on the bed between her and Gray. "If you make one more noise before I wake up again, I will slit your throat," she hissed.

Wendy moved closer to Gray. She couldn't bring herself to look at Lucy. But when she did, she saw that the blonde was already asleep again. "Gray?" she asked in a whisper, poking her brother's chest.

"Hmm?" he hummed. He opened one eye to look at his little sister.

"Lucy's scary," she said. "How do you spend so much time with her? I would be too scared." She blushed and looked down. She was remembering the time she caught them kissing.

"You think?" he laughed softly. "Lyon can be scary, but you still like him, right?"

"Of course I do! He's my brother. No matter how scary he is, I still love him." She saw him smirk so she puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.

"See? You answered your own question," he said. He loved how cute his sister was. His opinion was slightly biased, but she is the cutest little kid he knows.

"No I didn't," she said.

"You're not scared of Lyon because you love him, right?"

She nodded slowly, still not understanding how that answers her own question.

He sighed. "I love Lucy, Wendy." He thought she was suppose to be smart for her age. Apparently she is only book smart. She knows nothing about the world.

"You still love me, though, right?" she asked nervously.

"Of course," he said. He kissed her forehead and hugged her. "Now go to sleep, okay? We'll eat breakfast when you wake up, then open presents."

She was fast asleep by the time he finished talking.

X

Ur, surprisingly, woke up around nine. She hadn't woken up naturally on Christmas since Ultear was born. Actually, since she got married. Her late husband always woke her up early.

The moment she went out of her room, the smell of bacon and eggs filled her nose. She found Ultear and Lyon in the kitchen, arguing about how crispy the bacon should be.

"Merry Christmas," Ultear said, smiling at her mother.

"Wendy didn't wake me up. Is she still asleep?" Ur asked. She noticed toast and fruit on the table, too.

"Why don't you go see for yourself?" Lyon asked. He led his mother and sister upstairs. Ur couldn't help but let an 'awe' escape her lips when Gray's door was open.

Gray, Lucy, and Wendy were laying on the bed together. Gray and Lucy were facing each other with Wendy between them. The little girl was facing Gray, her small hands gripping his shirt. His arms were around his sister, his one hand in Lucy's hair, the other holding her waist. Lucy's hands were wrapped around Wendy.

"Should we even wake them?" Ur whispered. The three looked so cute together, almost like a mother and father cuddling their child.

Okay, maybe she should wake them up. She doesn't want to think about having grandchildren yet.

"Christmas," Ultear whispered.

Wendy shot up in bed, a smile on her face. The sudden movement caused Gray and Lucy's foreheads smack together. They both groaned and rubbed their heads.

"What the hell?" Lucy mumbled. She looked up and scowled at Wendy. "What did I tell you about waking me up?!"

"Breakfast is ready downstairs," Lyon said. Wendy jumped off the bed and ran downstairs. Ultear laughed and followed her.

"We better hurry before Wendy has a stroke," Gray lauhed. She always got so excited on Christmas.

X

"Can we open presents now?" Wendy asked happily, bouncing in her seat. She was antsy all through breakfast, excited to have everyone open their gifts.

"Didn't you hear?" Gray asked. "There is a new law that Christmas presents can't be opened until after dinner."

"He's joking," Ultear said. She watched Wendy's horrified face go back to her cheery one.

"Then lets go!" Wendy said. She grabbed Gray's hand and pulled him to the living room. The rest of the family laughed and followed.

"Okay, who wants to pick the first present?" Ur asked. She sat down beside the tree. Ultear sat beside Lyon on the couch. Wendy was practically sitting under the tree. Gray sat criss-crossed on the floor with Lucy on his lap, by her choice.

"I do!" Wendy said happily. She picked up a present and read the tag. She smiled and handed it to Lyon.

Wendy ended up giving out the presents. It was fairly obvious which ones were from her, since they weren't wrapped as well. She got different toys, while her siblings got a few shirts and socks. Ur would give them money later, since they could use that more. She had to buy them something, though, or Wendy would be the only one opening anything.

"Open your present!" Wendy told Lucy. She was the most excited about the blonde's gift. It was her favorite one that she gave.

Lucy ripped open the small package. She opened up the little jewelry box and smiled. It was a homemade piercing for her belly button. Wendy bought a plan ring, then glued a make-shift face onto a cotton ball. It even had little ears. She assumed it was a bunny.

"I love it," she told the small girl. She would have put it in, but she was only wearing Gray's shirt from when she went to bed. She really didn't feel like flashing Gray's family.

"Okay, Lucy," Ur said. "We all got you a present." She took a small box from behind her and gave it to Wendy to pass on.

The blonde carefully opened the package. It was sort of heavy and rectangular. She found it to be a book. When she looked at the title, she saw that it was a book about astrology. It was about three inches thick, so it was a big book.

"Thank you," Lucy said. She smiled at Ultear, since she probably told everyone she liked stars.

"So we're done opening presents?" Lyon asked. Everyone nodded. "Then it looks like its time to get changed." Wendy eagerly ran upstairs.

"What are we getting changed for?" Lucy asked.

"Every year we go ice skating," Gray said. He stood up and grabbed his clothing for presents. "Ultear will give you some clothes, okay?"

"Yeah, let's go!" Ultear said happily. She grabbed Lucy's shoulders and pushed her upstairs.

X

"Here you are, Miss," the man said, handing Lucy her skates. Everyone else had their own, but she had to rent some. She was wearing a pair of skinny jeans, a black sweater, a light purple coat, blue gloves, and a brown beanie.

She sat down at the bench and took her boots off. She slipped the skates on and fumbled with the straps. Gray ended up tying them for her. She never went ice skating, so she didn't know how to tie them.

"Let's go!" Wendy said. She grabbed Lyon's hands and dragged him away. Ultear was already skating with Chase, since he already said he would go with them. Ur found a few friends to talk to.

"Okay, let's go," Gray said. He stood up and guided Lucy with him. She awkwardly stepped onto the rink with him. The footing was way different than walking, obviously, so she was having a little trouble.

"I'm going to fall," she said. She did not trust her abilities at all.

"I won't let you," he laughed. He slowly started skating. She struggled to keep her balance, since the only support she got was from his one hand. She felt a little stupid, since very young children were skating on their own.

After a few laps, Lucy was starting to get used to the sport. She still needed to hold onto Gray, but he would have held her hand regardless.

"Okay, I need to show you something," he said. He went to a small path off the rink. The path wasn't too long, but the end was a good distance away from everyone. At the end was another small rink that would be used if the first was too crowed, which didn't happen much anymore.

At the far edge of the second rink, you could see a valley. The pine trees glistened with snow. A few deer and small animals could be scene, digging for grass below the snow. The falling snow added to the scenery perfectly.

"I didn't know there was a place like this around here," Lucy said in awe. She had been many beautiful places, all around the world, but for some reason, this was the most beautiful. Maybe it was the fact that she had someone standing beside her, appreciating it with her. She had traveled the world by herself. It was like seeing a postcard: it's pretty, but you wouldn't marvel over it for hours.

"My dad used to always bring me here, every Christmas," Gray said. Lucy was surprised that he openly talked about his father, especially after what Lisanna told her. "Oh, I almost forgot." He took his gloves off, shoved them into his pocket, and pulled something else out from another.

"You got me a present?" she asked, looking at the small box in his hands.

"It's Christmas, isn't it?" he asked. He took her hands and put the box in them. She took the top off. She pulled out a small jewelry box. She opened it up and smiled. She pulled a necklace out. It had a ring on the end. The ring was a band of silver. A sapphire was the center stone, with a tiny diamond on both sides. They were fake diamonds, but Lucy didn't know that.

"It's so pretty," she said. She couldn't help but smile like a child that just got ice cream.

"I'm glad you like it," Gray laughed. He took the necklace and fastened it around her neck. He bought the chain separate from the ring, since he knew she wouldn't wear a ring. He also didn't want to give off the wrong impression...

Lucy bit her lip nervously and looked at the ground. She didn't really get Gray anything, but she was planning on telling him something. She realized it after they fought about Ciel. As couldn't find the right moment to tell him, but what better time than on Christmas?

She gathered up her courage. "Gray, I-"

"Gray!"

Lucy looked over and saw Juvia skating towards them. 'Damn her,' she thought. She was just about to tell him, too!

"Hey, Juvia," Gray said. He was shocked to see her, but didn't show it. He looked back down to Lucy. "What were you going to say?" Juvia slid into a stop. She was also looking at the blonde.

She bit her lip again. "I was just going to say that it stopped snowing," she lied. She lost all her courage, and she sure as hell wasn't saying it front of Juvia.

Juvia cleared her throat awkwardly. "Ur said you were over here, so I decided to come say hi," she said sweetly.

"Oh yeah, how was your trip? We didn't get a chance to talk last night," he said.

"Come on, I'll tell you all about it!" Juvia said excitedly. She grabbed his hand and started dragging him away.

He didn't even look back at Lucy as he skated away.

Lucy was beyond shocked. Gray completely blew her off for Juvia. He just let her drag him away, not even saying anything to her. They were having such a sweet moment, and the bluenette ruined it.

Once they were out of sight, Lucy felt her knees give out. They hit the ground, but the snow cushioned them, so it didn't hurt. She just stared at the spot where Gray stood.

"Is this what he felt like?" she asked allowed, putting a hand to her chest. It had to have been. All those times she ran off with Ciel, it had to have hurt as much as this.

She decided to go find Ultear. Chase wouldn't mind spending time with her, so she knew they would be okay with her skating with them. She could even ask about Juvia.

She careful hobbled her way over to the main rink. Conveniently enough, Ultear and Chase were about to pass by her. She stumbled over to them, only keeping her balance because she grabbed onto Chase's arm.

"Lucy?" he asked. She looked up to him and smiled. "Where's Gray?"

"He ran off with Juvia," she hissed. Chase looked to Ultear, silently asking her to explain.

"Well," Ultear sighed. "Juvia is one of Gray's friends. She's going to be a marine biologist, and she leaves on little missions all the time. A few months ago, she went to Japan to clear the coastlines. At one point, they dated. I think it was when they were fifteen. I'm not sure why they broke up. I guess it was just a mutual thing. Before she left this time," she caught her tongue and stopped talking.

"What happened?" Lucy asked.

"It's not important," Ultear quickly said.

"Hey, did you get a necklace?" Chase asked, changing the subject. He could guess why Ultear didn't want to say what happened.

"Yeah, Gray gave it to me," Lucy said, looking down at it. She would have picked it up to show them, but she was still latched on Chase's arm. She didn't want to fall, after all.

"It's almost dinner time," Ultear said. "Do you want me to take you home?"

Lucy nodded.

She wasn't going to tell Gray goodbye, either.

* * *

**Juvia conflict! **

******I would love it if you all went to my profile and answered the poll. I have a few different ideas for stories, and I can't decide which to do after Death's Kiss. I'm not rushing the story, though! I just like to think ahead and write a little of the new story before I publish, just in case I don't like how it is going. I won't rush the story in any way. I just want to make sure everything works out. So, I believe I have four different options to choose from, and you can pick two. I would just really appreciate it if you checked that out. I want to make sure I write stories that appeal to you guys. **

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	28. Chapter 28 (4-20)

Lucy sat on her bed, her knees tucked into her chest. Her arms were wrapped around them. She looked at the necklace laying in front of her. After dinner and opening a few presents, she went to her room.

"Lucy?" Layla asked, knocking on the door.

"Come in," Lucy said quietly. She hugged her knees tighter as her mother entered the room.

"What's wrong?" Layla asked, sitting beside her daughter. "You've been in here a few hours."

"I'm fine," Lucy lied. She was really upset about Juvia, but she didnt want to tell Layla that.

"Did Gray get you this?" Layla asked, picking up the necklace. "It's really pretty."

"Yeah," Lucy replied shortly. She couldn't believe that he gave her such a nice gift, then completely ditched her. Ultear said they dated before, and something happened before she left. Did they kiss? Confess they still like each other? What happened?

"If you're sure you're okay, I'm going to go wash some dishes." Layla kissed Lucy's forehead and left the room.

Lucy turned her lamp off and sat in darkness.

X

"Welcome back, everyone," Miss Molly said. "I know it's rough coming back from break on a Monday, so we'll have a free day. You can work on your crayon drawings tomorrow."

"This is Okinawa," Juvia said, setting another picture down on the table. Since all the other tables were filled, she just pulled up a stool between Lisanna and Gray at the head of the table. She would stay there all year.

"It's so pretty," Lisanna said. She looked at the clear blue water and white sand. They really did a good job at cleaning up.

"Yeah," Gray agreed. He looked over to Lucy for the tenth time that day. She didn't even talk to him at all during Christmas break. He came over a few times, but Layla said she was sleeping and not to wake her. It seemed like Layla didn't know exactly what was wrong, but knew that something was. She even asked him if he knew anything.

"Oh, this is Erza," Juvia said, setting down a picture of a baby dolphin. Lisanna practically melted. "And here we are at the beach." She set down another picture. Juvia was wearing her bikini, smiling. Another girl her age was beside her. In the background, a blonde man was talking to one of the scientists.

Lucy rolled her eyes when she saw Gray staring at the picture. 'Probably looking at her body,' she thought.

"Who is that man?" Gray asked, pointing to the blonde man. Lucy snapped her head to him. He wasn't looking at Juvia, but the man in the background.

"He funded our cleanup in Okinawa," Juvia said. "Jude Heartfilia, I believe."

"What?" Lucy asked, grabbing the picture. Her eyes were wide with disbelief.

"Do you know him?" Juvia asked.

"Juvia, that's Lucy's dad," Gray said.

"I thought Lucy was Layla's daughter," Juvia said. Layla did say she lived in Japan before moving to Magnolia. She never mentioned her ex-husband, so it was a possibility.

"Yeah, it's him," Lucy said coldly, throwing the picture to the table. She crossed her arms and looked away.

"We need your help," Ciel said, making everyone at the table look to him. He picked Lucy up by her waist and carried her over to his table. Juvia, once again, thought they were such a cute couple.

"What is it?" Lucy asked. She was set on the table, facing Ciel and Yuki.

"You just looked sad," Kyo said. "It's that girl, right?"

Lucy sighed and nodded.

X

"Tests are in a few weeks, so today we are just going to review. Split up into three groups according to rank," Layla told her class. "Gray, take the lowest group. Juvia, you'll take the middle, leaving me with the higher."

Lucy rolled her eyes and scrubbed the windows harder. Layla made her clean them just so she would leave her room. Sadly, Juvia was also a black belt. In fact, she took the test a month after Gray. She looked over to him.

"You guys don't need to be nervous, okay?" Gray asked. His group was all white and yellow belts, so they were pretty new to the sport. "It may seem scary, but it's not. You'll test in groups of four, so it's not so bad. Just do your best, and you'll be fine."

Lucy smiled and looked back to the window. He put the students at ease so easily. He always seemed to know what to say and do in every situation. She looked over to Juvia. She didn't seem to be so carefree. She was farther away, so Lucy couldn't hear what she was saying. Layla was farther away yet, but she had a smile on her face.

"Damn window," she mumbled, going back to her job. She couldn't seem to get the spot off. She was starting to think that Layla was putting cement on the windows, just to keep her busy. That was the fourth spot that caused her trouble.

A warm hand wrapped over her's. She blushed and looked up to meet Gray's smirking face. "You have to use some elbow grease," he said. He scrubbed the window as if her hand wasn't there. He let the cloth slide down, showing the clean spot.

"Shouldn't you be with the students?" Lucy all but hissed. She was trying to be mad, and he was making it very hard for her. His hand was so warm against her's.

"They are practicing," he said. He wrapped his hands around her waist, resting his chin in her shoulder. "Is something bothering you?"

Lucy tried to find her words. She was being distracted by his body against her's. She hasn't been around him that much in the past days, and she had to admit that she missed being with him. "Yeah," she confessed.

"We can talk about it tonight. I have to go back to class," he said.

"What about school tomorrow?" she asked. She didn't understand why she cared. School never stopped her from staying over in the past.

"It's Friday," he laughed.

"Is it just me, or are these classes a different day every week?" she asked.

Gray shrugged and went back to his group if student.

X

Gray entered his room with only a towel around his waist, shaking his wet hair. Lucy was sitting in his bed. She was waiting for him to get out of the shower so they could talk, which she wasn't particularly looking forward to. Her face turned scarlet when Gray entered the room.

"So what's up?" Gray asked. He was running his fingers trough his hair, trying to comb his messy locks. Even when wet his hair was unruly.

"Uh, huh, mmh," she stuttered awkwardly. "Can you, uh, put some clothes on?" She played with the edge of a blanket nervously.

"What, am I bothering you?" he teased. He didn't think it would bother her so much. She nodded. He smirked and walked over to the bed. She blushed harder when he laid down beside her. She tried to get off the bed, but he pulled her back to him.

"Gray," she whined. She realized that towels were sexist. When on a girl, they fall off so easy. But with guys, they could run a marathon, do cartwheels, or anything else, and it still wouldn't come off.

"Let's sleep like this," he said. She grabbed a pillow and smothered his face. It didn't have much if an effect, though. "I was just teasing you," he laughed. He got up and dug through his drawers for some clothes. He left the room, and came back wearing boxers and a shirt. She was a little disappointed that he was wearing a shirt, though.

"So what's up?" he asked, laying back down in the bed. He propped his head up with his elbow.

"Something happened with you and Juvua before she left, and I was wondering what it was," she said quietly. She sat up cross-legged and played with the hem of her shirt.

"Wh-what do you mean?" he stuttered. She looked over to him. She was surprised to see him avoiding her gaze.

"Why are you nervous?" she asked skeptically.

"It's no big deal. Lets just go to sleep," he quickly said.

"Seriously, what happened?" she asked sternly. She did not like the situation one bit. She was just assuming she was over thinking, but Gray was proving that there was something to worry about.

"Listen," he sighed. "It honestly wasn't a big deal. She told me she still likes me then kissed me. Sure, it was awkward when she came back, but we're cool. Nothing's going on."

"Are you sure?" Lucy asked quietly, hugging her knees. She saw how friendly they were together.

"You worry too much," he laughed. He grabbed her waist and pulled her down beside him, facing the same way as him. He smirked against her neck. "Just go to sleep, okay?"

"Hmm, okay," she mumbled, missing the feeling of laying next to him.

She was just overreacting. There really is nothing to worry about, right?

Right?

* * *

**I didn't update because I was AFK for a few days. PLEASE DON'T RIOT AGAINST ME! **

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